No, I definitely don't think the child is "guilty", or even "bratty" as some here have said. I don't think it's particularly unusual for a child that age to ignore their parents saying "no" when they are really determined to do something. Just in this case it had a unusually horrible outcome.
The child is not "guilty" in a sense as "to be held responsible" - that would be bonkers. However, it was not a slip-and-fall accident. He deliberately made his way. Most of us have been to a zoo at similar age. How many actually attempted to clamber into animal enclosures?
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Another commentary by Captain Paul Watson
Since the violent killing of the captive gorilla Harambe, we have seen the usual justifications paraded forth with so called experts trotted out to defend the shooting. Experts like Jack Hanna who is the go-to "expert" anytime animals are killed because he will always provide a justification for killing for the media. And there was some woman zoo-keeper who it's not even worth mentioning her name because she was seeking attention in her role as an "expert" in justifying the killing. She is merely a prison guard.
But there really are only two experts whose opinion I respect when it comes to primates. Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas
Birute, the leading voice in the world for the Orangutang tweeted:
Birute Mary Galdikas
It is arrogant to think that humans are more important than ‪#‎animals‬. It's a form of human failing that is even now destroying the earth.
Jane Goodall also observed that the gorilla's movements were not aggressive.
In two prior instances one in Chicago in 1996 and the other in Jersey (U.K.) in 1986, where a child fell into an enclosure the child was rescued by a gorilla. There was no reason to believe that Harambe would have harmed the child and in fact did not harm the child despite being with the child for over 10 minutes.
Was the boy dragged? Yes he was, he was dragged from the water. Why by the leg? Because that is how a gorilla would have dragged a young gorilla in a similar situation and dragging by the leg has less potential for injury than dragging by a more fragile arm.
Both Harambe's parents were killed because of negligence by a zoo and now at 17, Harambe was violently slain.
And as I predicted a few days ago, the parents of the boy now intend to sue the Zoo and most likely the zoo will settle for an undisclosed amount and their incompetence as parents will be rewarded financially.
And for those who say I should not be judgmental about the character of the parents, I can only say I have no need to be judgmental. The criminal records speak to that quite adequately.
Zoos have no social or ecological redeeming value. They should be replaced by sanctuaries that care for wild animals. Breeding should be banned in zoos because they don't breed animals to return to the wild, they breed for sale and trade to other zoos.
The first thing they did with Harambe's body was extract his sperm for breeding purposes. It was profit on their minds, not remorse.
And finally for those who told me to stick to whales and not to comment on other animals well, I will comment on any damn thing I want on this page be it whales, gorillas, lions or unicorns if I so choose. It's my facebook page and thus my decision as to what is posted.
My wildlife conservation experience has not been restricted to whales and fish. I spent a year working on anti-poaching activities in Africa. I've seen gorillas and lions in the wild and seen the thugs (poachers) who kill them and in my opinion the fingers that pulled the trigger on Harambe are just as guilty as any gorilla poacher in the wild and even worse in many ways because they should have known better. It was a cowardly act. In Jersey in 1986 three men jumped into the enclosure to retrieve the boy and the silverback stood guard as they did. These men were heroes unlike the cowards at the Cincinnati Zoo.
What happened in Cincinnati was despicable, unforgivable and outrageously irresponsible. This zoo should be closed.