An endangered gorilla has been shot dead after a 4-yo fell into its zoo enclosure

[AdrenalineFudge]

Why the fuck has this happened... again - to another endangered species?

A little boy fell into an enclosure and the zoo staff decided the best course of action was to shoot the gorilla dead.

I'm not even sure who I'm most angry at. This should not have happened in the first place.

OP I watch my children like a hawk, as do many parents/aunties. But none of us are perfect and this could happen to anyone and if have more than one child with you it is easy to become momentarily distracted.

The child shouldn't have even been able to get in to the enclosure.

There is a lot of emotion in this because people love children and people also love animals. I love the first one and I like the second, and I naturally place more importance on the child who was in danger. The comments I saw on Facebook, things like "the child should have been shot because gorillas are endangered and there are plenty of children", were disgusting.

They couldn't just say "tough shit" and watch the child die.

I live in London, UK. This news item was on the UK national news!?! Really? Why?

We did not see the full footage/hear the full story, and so we cannot make any rational decision as to whether it was right to shoot the gorilla or not.

It followed a very important news story regarding the UK referendum on whether we should leave the EU or not and whether David Cameron has failed to deliver on his election promises and the Conservatives manifesto pledges.

We should be discussing this important issue and not the diversion set up by the media.

Girl If they are likely to run off, the simple answer is you don't go alone.

If we jump up and down and tut and shout "Bad Parents!" it makes us all feel a bit safer. Because that means it couldn't happen to us as we're Good Parents...
Which is, of course, utter bullshit.

Poor parents, poor kid, poor gorilla. Very sad, very unlucky. End.

Hope you feel better another

I have three younger siblings and have taken them all to a well- known open enclosure zoo many times. Yes I have to keep an eye on them but they know the animals are potentiality dangerous and have to be respected and viewed from a safe distance, regardless of the railings around them.

This. I'm not a particularly over protective parent but I thought everyone had this conversation with their kids when they go to the zoo. It seems I am mistaken.

I have 2 children and regularly take 4 to 7 year olds out on school trips and have done for the last 10 years. If a child says they want to get in with a wild animal, a swift explanation of how dangerous the animal is would normally be enough to put an end to their desire.

This^

Its exactly what I I had to do when my two little brothers wanted to climb in with the elephants and try to ride them.

thebest Thanks for the advice.
I will look out for random strangers to come with me. Else i better stay at home, just in case.

Me too High

My parents used to do it with me and my sister, and we were very young. "It's a busy place, you're likely to get lost, dangerous animals, stay with me at all times."

I'm not a perfect parent but its not like the kid wandered off at a soft play! They were at a zoo with large and potentially dangerous animals!

You have to, that's your responsibility. Take a friend?

Fair point fairuza i think people should say "as a mother of???" Before they post (joke!!!! Before anyone throws a wobbly)

thebest

girl was responding to the poster that said a childs hand must be held at all times, not that she had escapee children

Makes taking a shit a bit difficult

Yes i know rufus but I wouldn't take children who I couldn't look after to a potentially dangerous place . If we took children on a school trip without enough adults to supervise, there would be uproar!

I have 5 kids and have brought them on numerous days out and weekends away.You cant account for every possabilty ever.You just cant.

I havent got eyes in the back of my head,i dont know the future.If we did we would probably never go anywhere.

Mother loses child in the Zoo,people on here really think stuff will never happen to them.Bet that poor woman thought that too.

dust

She had one child with her though..

How many children per adult do you manage on a school trip then thebest - when I've done Reception trips to the zoo it's been 1 adult to every 5 or 6 children. So no, the adults haven't been able to hold every child and keep their eyes on every child at the same time.

best

I agree...but girl was right...its impossible to hold the hands of three children when you only have two hands.

Its a biological fact

As i say i think it was just a flippent response to saying someone should hold hands at all times

Could be wrong though...its been known to happen on occasion

Same here fairuza

I make that 3 kids that have fallen in with various gorillas, one into the Painted Dog pen, and several suicidal adults have got in with bears and tigers.

I vote that zoos bring back cages - over the paths and walk ways to keep the humans in.

I'm iff on a school trip tons zoo with 90
Infant school children soon. We won't have enough staff to hold every child's hand. No risk assessment or trip guideline even dictates anywhere near that.

We will have all the relevant safety talks and we will watch the children.

But this child wasn't even school age probably. And 4yos can be very very fast at moving and climbing.

Why does anyone have to be blamed to be honest? How does blaming someone is such a case as this help anyone?

I'm always wary of people who look to blame in such situations. Does it make them feel better about themselves, or is it some form of self preservation? It could never happen to my child because I would be liking after them better kind of thing?

I know this is difficult for some of you to comprehend but sometimes, perfectly well behaved and compliant small children do completely unexpected things. Also, sometimes very attentive and caring parents get distracted, often by another child. I bet everyone on here has taken their eyes off their DC at inappropriate moments, they were just lucky that nothing happened. It was bad luck that the moment their turned their back, their child did something hideously dangerous.

saoirse
Funnily enough I don't want anyone to die
But most of all I don't want an innocent animal to be shot because a child's parents couldn't be arsed to watch their precious offspring whilst they climb into a dangerous animal enclosure .

Ok the child needed to be safe but am
Still heartbroken for the gorilla.

Of course the zoo should have shot the gorilla, really what other choice did they have to save that 4 year old child's life. I'm sure the shooter is distraught at having to do it but it was the Gorilla or the child and the child needs to come first always. I feel sorry for the child, the gorilla and the one who had to shoot.

But the blame needs to be placed squarely on the parents shoulders. Their 4yr old should never have been left alone long enough to get in with no-one noticing, especially as the child had already said he wanted to go down.

Seriously, I'm all for animal rights, but what else could the zoo have done? Let the boy die? The Gorilla is still a wild animal with natural instincts.

A sad, but necessary decision by Staff.

I'm devastated about this.

But I have to say that it would be reasonable to expect an open gorilla enclosure to be relatively kid proof.