At one point, she said the male silverback gorilla was “standing over” her son.
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Above: Harambe the gorilla, shown here in June 2015, was fatally shot Saturday, May 28, 2016, to protect a 3-year-old boy who had entered its exhibit.
Dramatic 911 calls from the mother whose small child had fallen into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo have been released. Ultimately, the decision to pursue possible charges is up to the local prosecutor.
Meanwhile, in a 911 call released Wednesday, the boy’s mother pleads for help while shouting at the child: “Be calm!”
The reference appears to be to a 1996 incident, where a small boy climbed a railing and fell 18 feet into the gorilla den at the Brookfield Zoo.
In the statement, the family offered their thanks to zookeepers for saving their child and said he is doing well following “a checkup by his doctor”.
The family said they continue to “be thankful to the Cincinnati Zoo for their actions taken to protect our child”. My son fell in with gorilla.
Police revealed yesterday that they are investigating the action’s of Isaiah’s parents in the lead up to the incident. “I can’t watch this!” A woman who witnessed the boy’s fall said she heard the youngster say he wanted to get in the water with the gorillas.
Moving forward, caretakers, who are responsible for the day-to-day well-being of the zoo’s residents and who form personal relationships with them, must be involved in preparing for emergency situations such as this.
Opinions vary widely about whether or not the boy’s parents are to blame and should be charged for negligence, and whether Harambe should have been killed, as there is essentially no evidence that the gorilla was going to harm the child.
“We are also very appreciative for the expressions of concern and support …”
In a written statement they asked well-wishers not to send them financial gifts, but to make any donations to the zoo. The gorilla was shot dead by zoo officials.
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We have not named the boy or his mother, who was with him when he got into the exhibit-the woman being wrongly attacked on Facebook is from the Cleveland area.
