A special response team shot the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla to protect the boy. His parents said they continue to “praise God” and also are thankful to the zoo “for their actions taken to protect our child”.
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A prosecutor has scheduled a Monday news conference to discuss whether charges will be brought against the family of a 3-year-old boy who fell into a Cincinnati Zoo exhibit, leading to the fatal shooting of a male gorilla.
The zoo’s director Thomas Maynard had earlier said the barriers made the enclosure safe.
Meanwhile, the zoo said it plans to reopen the exhibit next week.
Saturday’s incident was reminiscent of a Little Rock Zoo encounter in which a 3-year-old boy suffered serious injuries after falling into the jaguar enclosure in October 2014 – the only reported incident of its kind in the zoo’s history.
The original three foot fence has been slammed as “inadequate” after the four-year-old slipped through it, dropping 15 foot into the moat, where he was able to come face to face with the 28 stone gorilla.
My son fell in the zoo exhibit at the gorilla, at the Cincinnati Zoo. While many believe the beloved primate was merely protecting Isiah, 4, his parents say they are thankful that zoo officials killed the animal.
The new fence is now only an extra half foot taller, with wooden beams along the top and bottom with netting in the middle. The Cincinnati Enquirer first obtained the report.
Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most prominent primatologists, has weighed on the killing of a gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo after a child fell into the animal’s enclosure.
A spokeswoman says the family requests privacy and has no comment on the investigation. He’s dragging my son.
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The boy’s mother has reacted to criticism from animal rights campaigners online who claim she should have been keeping a closer eye on her son.
