4 year old boy falls into gorilla enclosure at US zoo

[littleducks]

The gorilla was then shot. Really shocked at this (daily mail suggests a similar incident occurred 30 years ago in Jersey).

m.wlwt.com/news/video-gorilla-grabs-child-whos-fallen-into-habitat/39774904

Today's press coverage refers to a police investigation of everything to do with the incident. Which presumably will include the adequacy of the barriers, and whether they were in good repair.

to all those perfect parents who have never taken an eye off their children (and presumably shower/shit/and piss with them tied to their side) ODFOTTOSOF. The fault lies solely with the zoo for not having barriers sufficient to keep out a 4 year old. Everything else is just a tragic set of circumstances.

FFS the child said he wanted to climb in and nothing was done to stop him. That is bloody stupid. Saying "no you're not" is not good enough. Which is exactly what his mother did.

I don't believe the gorilla should have been killed.

You'd rather the child was?

"FFS the child said he wanted to climb in and nothing was done to stop him. That is bloody stupid"
You were there, were you?

And anyway it's up to the zoo to make sure it can't happen.

Incredible.
Once you've lost sight of a child you have a 360• rotation in which they could have headed.

Cannot believe anyone thinks the parents are to blame. The zoo absolutely had a duty of care to visitors, particularly vulnerable ones.

Btw I just lost my autistic son in Bluewater - three kids, he stormed off. Shoot me.

From the AIBU thread

"This is my local zoo. The child didn't fall in. He climbed over a rock barrier, through bushes, under a metal railing, and over a chain-link fence to fall 12 feet down into a moat around the gorilla enclosure. The enclosure has been there for 38 years, and nothing like this has ever happened, despite hundreds of thousands of visitors every year."

I wonder how long it took him to do all that? I'm surprised no-one saw him whilst he was in no-man's land.

(Or perhaps they did, and it'll all come out in the investigation).

Yep. Entirely the zoos fault obviously. Parents have not responsibility whatsoever

I wasn't there anymore than any of you were. Just because I don't agree with your opinion does not mean I am wrong. This is what is reported in the news. I'm sure I should only read the bits that are deemed acceptable though.

I don't think the gorilla should have been killed. If the child died because of that then so be it. We don't get to decide that humans are the single most important animal.

Another dedicated vegan Hunter? Presumably you haven't contributed to overpopulation by having any children of your own either?

It's so important to avoid anthropomorphism.??
Why

Hunter - what the fuck? You honestly think the gorilla is more important than the child?

You are a disgusting excuse for a human being.

I don't think the gorilla should have been killed. If the child died because of that then so be it. We don't get to decide that humans are the single most important animal.

As a human I think you do actually.

Gosh, I really hope you never have to do up your shoelace or look at your phone or help your other child or talk to your partner while with your daughter. Done all those things while with my daughters, and no, I haven't lost them. Doesn't make me perfect, just vigilant.

So you think the zoo should sue the parents for compensation for the dead gorilla? Because if it's their fault then surely the zoo has a strong case I think you will find that I said I hold both the parents & the zoo responsible.

wibblewobble8 You are funny... (and rude) of course I don't shower & shit with my kids tied to me. I make a risk assessment of my home if I am going to be away for a length of time (i.e. shower etc), therefore I know that my child is safe for that time as my home is child safe.

At the zoo, I cannot risk assess EVERY situation. There fore my child is within my reach at all times. if you think that makes me perfect, I'll take that badge. I don't think it does...as I said, just makes me vigilant. Had my child voiced that wish to climb into the enclosure, as this child did, I would remove her, an make damn sure I took that as a warning.

I am sorry though, that my vigilance offends you.

That's not say that parents how lose sight of their children AREN'T always vigilant. I know my child, and so I take steps to prevent her getting into trouble.

The zoo absolutely had a duty of care to visitors, particularly vulnerable ones. So are you saying that the parents duty of care was on hold once they entered the zoo? Are parents not responsible for the actions of their children anymore.

It's so important to avoid anthropomorphism.??
Why Because animals don't act like humans...

I do think it is wholly unacceptable to say that the gorilla shouldn't have been shot. It is a shame, but the boy's safety was paramount!

I have never been to a zoo where i have thpught i could actually get close to a potentially dangerous animal. Never thougjt my young children could possibly squeeze through a gap into a gorilla pit.
However,if that little boy did go to all those apparent lengths(climbing under and over wires and bushes) to get in,then thats more than a pure accident.i guess anyone could get into a wild animal enclosure if they were determined,just to accidently stumble in isnt the same.
If the reports are true and he said he wanted to go and he legged it on purpose then its the parents fault 100%.he spunds a naughty little boy.
My kids absolutely have misbehaved themselves in public and ran off etc. Bever in a place where they might climb into a gorilla house.
I think the zoo must have been in turmoil over whether to shoot the gorilla.
Suggestions the family could sue are shocking.
Its awful we put wild animals in zoos for us the gawp and as we have the god given right. And we go up in a arms if those animals react how they are meant to when WE trespass into their little world we have created.

"Suggestions the family could sue are shocking.". Really? I think the zoo were hugely negligent if a 4 year old could get into a dangerous animal's enclosure....

These sorts of incidences make me absolutely furious. Human negligence (whether you blame the zoo or the parents) causing the death of a beautiful animal. Harembe should never have been put in that position.

Amazing how many super parents here have never lost sight of their child for a few seconds in the park, in a supermarket or at the beach. Kids disappear in the blink of an eye and for a parent there is no worse experience than that blind panic when your child is out of sight.

Another example in the news recently where a 3 year old got under railings and plunged into a river

metro.co.uk/2016/05/21/mum-praises-hero-who-jumped-into-river-to-save-her-son-5897364/

I lost my dd for about 10 seconds in primark once.

I thought she has stayed with dh and he thought she had come with me. She had actually tried to follow me and gotten lost.

The sheer panic that shot through me until I spotted her. Never again

I watched the film of the boy being dragged about with my heart in my mouth. Yes, I'd have shot. What else can you do? The boy may not have been badly injured, but being dragged through a concrete moat - not nice soft earth at the bottom - and it's pretty certain that if that's done enough you're going to end up badly hurt. The boy was so lucky.

Before I saw the film,mI felt quite indignant about it, remembering other cases where the gorilla behaved differently and the child was rescued without further injury, but this case is very different. I'm really sad about the gorilla, nevertherless.

Such a ghastly situation.

I heard that there is footage that supposedly shows the gorilla trying to protect the boy rather than harm him but even if he were trying to harm the poor boy, why shoot the poor gorilla!? Are tranquilizers not good enough?

I have to admit that I blame the boy's parents. Why was nobody keeping an eye on him?

'Are tranquilizers not good enough? '

It takes ten minutes for the tranquillizers to take effect and during that time the gorilla might react unexpectedly.

The gorilla was agitated. He was dragging the boy around, under water some of the time. And the reason tranquillisers weren't used has been discussed. They may not have worked, they may have hit the boy, the gorilla may have fallen onto the boy (crushing him) after staggering about.
Shooting Harambe was the only option. A sad one, but the only one.

Are tranquilizers not good enough?

No. Tranquilizers take time to have an effect, the animal gets agitated and unstable while they are acting, if he had fallen he could have trapped the boy in the water. There was also no way to ensure the dart didnt ricochet off the gorilla and hit the child.