“People that know gorillas well – people who research them in the wild, people who work with them in captivity – know exactly what decision was made and why”, he said. Maynard said the gorilla was agitated and – and that he could crush a coconut in one hand.
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Witnesses told local news broadcasters the child had said he wanted to join the gorillas, before crawling through a barrier and falling nearly four metres into the enclosure. He fell into the gorilla enclosure, which led to the ape, Harambe, being shot dead Saturday.
Kim O’Connor, who witnessed the boy’s fall, told WLWT-TV that she heard the youngster say he wanted to get in the water with the gorillas.
“Even under the “best” circumstances, captivity is never acceptable for gorillas or other primates, and in cases like this, it’s even deadly”, PETA said in a statement.
According to Maynard, those criticizing the zoo officials for killing the animal “don’t understand silverback gorillas”, Maynard said in a news conference on Monday.
Zoo director Thane Maynard said the zoo has gotten a lot of support from visitors and animal experts since Saturday. No one loves humans and animals more than the Hanna family or the zoo world.
Famed Columbus zookeeper Jack Hanna says he agrees “1,000 percent” with the zoo’s decision.
The Texas zoo and birthplace of a western lowland gorilla that was shot after a boy fell into its exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo says it’s deeply saddened by the animal’s death.
Ohio State University criminal law professor Ric Simmons said he doubts a charge of child endangering could be proved in this instance, since the offense typically involves leaving a youngster unattended for an extended time, not a case of a child momentarily wandering off.
Consider the headline if the gorilla had killed the child, Stalf added. “I’m not here to point fingers about fault”, he said.
Video footage that witnesses shared show Harambe nearly protecting the young boy, but WLWT-TV noted that it cut out the graphic part where the gorilla dragged the tike. He was released from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Sunday.
Many social media commenters have criticised her and Dickerson and said they should be held accountable. A spokeswoman for the family said they had no plans to comment.
He referred to video showing the animal at times appearing protective of the child, saying it was “so lovely to watch” and “almost like a mother holding a baby”. The zoo said earlier this year that it planned to expand the exhibit.
He maintained that the exhibit was safe and the zoo was not negligent.
Gorilla World remained closed Monday.
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Maynard said that the zoo’s response team responded accordingly to their protocol, and followed procedures that they practice in drills.
