The Cincinnati police say they are investigating the parents to see if criminal charges are warranted.
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Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall believes Harambe, the 400-pound gorilla who was shot to protect a 3-year-old boy who fell into the animal’s enclosure, was actually “putting an arm around the child.” A gorilla named Harambe was killed by a special zoo response team on Saturday after a 4-year-old boy slipped into an exhibit and it was concluded his life was in danger.
The zoo’s director, Thane Maynard, defended the zoo’s barriers and actions. “He’s dragging my son”.
She is heard saying: “My son fell in with the gorilla”. I can’t watch this.
The panicked 911 call made by the mum of Isaiah Dickinson after she realised her son had fallen in Harambe’s gorilla enclosure has been released by police. The dispatcher told her that responders were on their way, and she yelled four times: “Be calm!”
The woman, identified in U.S. media as Michelle Gregg, repeatedly tells her son to “be calm” during the incident at Cincinnati Zoo. “You’re going to make him riled up”.
“Gorillas are gentle, nurturing animals who attack only when provoked, and experts report that Harambe was likely trying to protect this child”, Brittany Peet of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said in a statement.
The family said the toddler was “doing well” after the scare.
University of Dayton law professor Lori Shaw said child endangering cases are complicated and fact-specific.
The family declined to comment on the investigation.
Since then, there have been numerous questions about how the boy got past the barriers around the exhibit.
A record of police calls shows nine minutes passed between the first emergency call about the boy falling into the enclosure and when the child was safe.
I tried to see exactly what was happening-it looked as though the gorilla was putting an arm round the child-like the female who rescued and returned the child from the Chicago exhibit.
“We are also very appreciative for the expressions of concern and support that have been sent to us”, the statement continues.
At least two animal rights groups were holding the zoo responsible for the death of the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, charging that the barrier made up of a fence, bushes and a moat wasn’t adequate.
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‘Some have offered money to the family, which we do not want and will not accept.
