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.

Sorry, my last post was riddled with errors... Trying to multitask... What I was trying to say was that people who are so moronic on this issue as to think the parents need prosecuting are probably also blissfully unaware of their own parenting shortcomings!

the parents might be charged so they are being held responsible

That's the press twisting what the Cincinnati police spokesperson said. What he actually says is that charges could eventually be sought depending on the outcome of the investigation. It's PR speak in response to the utter bollocks being spouted by "Justice for Harambe" people.

If the parents weren't criminally charged in this situation: www.cbsnews.com/news/parents-of-2-year-old-mauled-by-wild-dogs-settle-pittsburgh-zoo-lawsuit/
then I don't see it happening this time.

Again, it's the zoo's responsibility to ensure the safety of the animals and guests. It's one thing for a full grown man hell bent on suicide to force the roof of the lion enclosure and crawl in, and another to assume 4 year old's can't climb fences.

Ah ok I stand corrected

The sad thing is, a human's life is always going to be seen as more important. It should have, in this situation, as it wasn't the child's fault. The parents, on the other hand...

this is America they will also shoot first think later,
there should have been an alternative to getting the boy out without shooting the gorilla dead imo.
Such as????
And don't spend too much time thinking about it because they had very little time to make a decision.
That gorilla could have ripped the boy apart in seconds, or drowned him or sat on him or thrown him around the enclosure. Whatever "alternative" you are going to come up with, it must be guaranteed to work instantly.
And 'I don't know, just something' is not good enough.

Frankly if a 4yo child can get in, the animal could get out...

Not really, he had a big drop in down a smooth concrete wall into an area filled only with water.

Re. the polar bears - why does that matter!? This was a gorilla, not a pair of bears. They are completely different animals, you can't compare the two!
If you're going to this to anything. compare it to the Jambo incident. FWIW for those who haven't read about the boy and the PBs - he had already died when they were killed.

That gorilla could have ripped the boy apart in seconds, or drowned him or sat on him or thrown him around the enclosure.

Are you a primatologist? This just sounds hugely ignorant and sensationalist tbh. The most distressing thing happening for that gorilla was the huge crowd screaming at him. They are an inherently peaceful animal who don't care about territory and rarely fight among themselves and will only fight with others when threatened. He clearly understood that a boy lying at your feet crying is not a threat.

Crowd noise is a known stressor for captive gorillas. I think if Cincinnati should take anything from this it should be trying to make the crowd as invisible and as silent as possible from the animal's side.

Was this reported in the UK? A man fell into the tiger enclosure at Delhi zoo when he climbed onto a wall to take a better photo and then fell in.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=j2VmYQTgWHE

Jambo and Binti Jua are slightly different scenarios, given that the gorillas were both female who had had offspring and were raised in captivity. Harambe was raised in captivity, but he's also a male. Male silverback's can be very aggressive to the point of killing young gorillas they view as a threat to their haram. If his handlers had thought he was being protective, it may have been a different situation, but obviously they saw signs that he was going to become aggressive.

Only on page 1, but when I heard this on the news it sounded like a US zoo & DH and I agreed swift action was needed (shoot the gorilla) to head off a massive lawsuit - we reckon they'll be sued anyway for having inadequate fencing, but a dead 4 year old would have been $$$$. Depressing.

Jambo was male, Thefitftatty

Sorry! My bad, I'd read Jambo was female. I was thinking Binti Jua. But he had had children, and that may have made the difference. The boy was also unconscious at first, which again, may have made a difference as well. Again, it's the handlers call ultimately. They know the gorilla better then anyone.

Such a tragic story which has really saddened me.

It's easy to blame someone, I wanted to blame the parents when I first read the story but then I looked at the bigger picture. A series of unfortunate events lead up to this tragedy. I'd like to actually be there in person to make an informed decision about the zoo's barriers. I think it's hard to speculate unless you were there or have ever been there. I also wondered why tranquilizers weren't used but again, looking at the footage that would have not been an option.

I hope the little boy makes a full recovery. He's extremely lucky.

It's an incredibly sad ending for such a majestic creature, I wish he'd have followed his female companions in when called, such a sad loss. The Zoo really didn't have any other choice though. I'm sure they are as heartbroken as we are, it's the last thing they would have wanted to do but they really didn't have any option but to shoot to kill.

Until we hear more with regards to the safety barriers, as I'm sure there will be more details to follow, I don't see how we can comment. There was obviously a safety flaw, otherwise a 4 year old wouldn't have been able to climb over, but I just wonder how long it would have taken him to do this without anybody noticing him be it the parents or other visitors. I'm sure footage of this might be forthcoming.

RIP Harambe

Oh and I totally agree about the crowd issue, the screaming and the noise, which was obviously stressing Harambe as you can see him looking up and it seemed to affect his actions. Entirely agree that everyone should have been moved swiftly instead of capturing the horror on their phones!

The outrage against parents is such because there just too many feckless people around with feral children. Thats why facebook crowds assume the worst. Of course shit may happen even to extremely careful people. Anyway, they should count their blessings. The child is unhurt, facebook shitstorm will be soon forgotten.

The bear incident is also a tragedy. I feel sorry for them. Zero sympathy for hooligans and idiots.

Yes children are unpredictable. And they can run off. I have two "runners". They drive me bat shit crazy... But that's what prams, reins and ergo baby carriers are for. Who cares what judgemental people think. If the kid won't stay where they are supposed to then they have to be restrained (so to speak) My DS at four was often in the ergo baby, for that very reason I have the bulging disc to prove it. And now at 6 has only recently not had to sit in the trolley seat at the shops. It helps that he's small, but given half the chance I'm sure he could easily do what that child did. I am far from perfect, but I struggle to see how this could happen.

I really think there are no excuses for the parents. Sympathy yes, but they are totally at fault. If your child is that prone to running off, and you can't control them you don't take them to places like that.

That's exactly what i'm thinking. At age 4 you know that your child is a runner/climber/escape artist, you need to be extra vigilant. Plus if a father was there too, that means there were two pairs of eyes to watch that kid. And they failed.

I think if one more person says on FB "why couldn't they just tranquelise him" I think I'll shoot them

If you know kids can be unpredictable, then surely you realise the kid might not have been a 'runner'.

The mother is a heartless piece of shit.

Her statement:

"I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers today. What started off as a wonderful day turned into a scary one."

Scary? Are you fucking kidding me? How about 'tragic'.

"For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that felt in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him."

Fuck off, 'get to him'? They shot dead the innocent gorilla.

"My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes... no broken bones or internal injuries."

Your son is safe? How about the fucking dead gorilla?

"As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids."

Self-absorbed much?

"Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today."

What right people? Your son was in the wrong place, and then armed police arrived to murder an innocent gorilla.

"Thank you to everyone that helped me and my son today and most importantly God for being the awsome [sic] God that He is."

Whoop, three fucking cheers for God shooting dead a critically endangered gorilla. Nice job JC!

The mother, ironically, is owner/manager of a childcare facility. If such an incident happened in that context, there would no doubt be criminal proceedings.

Are you a primatologist? This just sounds hugely ignorant and sensationalist tbh
trufflesnout have you seen the video? That boy was in very serious and immediate danger. The people who shot him knew exactly what he was capable of and they didn't feel they had any other option but to shoot him. There's nothing sensationalist about what a gorilla that size can do to a small child.

He clearly understood that a boy lying at your feet crying is not a threat.
Even if he did understand that (which you would have no concept of) it doesn't mean he wouldn't harm him. He was dragging that boy around through the water, he could easily have smashed his head on a rock.

Did you have any alternative courses of action to suggest?
Would you have just moved the crowd away and hoped he calmed down?

The parents are totally irresponsible and totally at fault here. It is their duty to supervise their kids. Zoos are not playgrounds!!
What your child gets up to is your responsibility. If your child does something to get someone or an animal hurt or killed, that is your fault. Especially when they are at a young age like this child.
I honestly hope the parents get prosecuted.

Of course he was a runner. A placid child wouldn't do that. I have one placid child I couldn't lose if I tried and two runners who I can't take my eyes off at all. I can't believe I'm not grey to be honest.

Kids can be unpredictable in the sense they put stickers up their nose but you know if your child is likely to be an escaper,especially by the time they reach four.

If a small child gets lost in a zoo no right thinking person would reasonably expect they could somehow end up in the enclosure of a dangerous animal.

I hate when people on the Internet tear apart strangers without even knowing them or their exact circumstances. The parents will no doubt read some of the comments online. It's horrible.

The sad thing is, a human's life is always going to be seen as more important. It should have, in this situation, as it wasn't the child's fault. The parents, on the other hand...

TurquoiseMoon Are you seriously suggesting that if it had been an adult he should have been left to his fate?

The handlers were where they were. The child was there. Tranquilliser darts would take too long. There was no alternative, tragic though it is.