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

Another one who has never taken their eyes off a child.

Funny how there are loads on the internet, yet whenever I'm at a kid-friendly attraction everyone seems to be picking up another kid, getting wipes out of their bag, taking photos, answering the phone, talking to their partner or reading maps some of the time.

Maybe the parents who never look away from their children can't actually get out of the house?

I find it extraordinary that people are blaming the parents and not saying that the zoo is to blame for having fences that a 4 year old can easily climb!

I had a looooong rooe thing, which I'd tie to dd and she could run about as much as she liked but always find her way back to me. If there were lots of people around I just wound in more rope. When there were no hazards it could be at full length or taken off completely.

I don't understand why people don't use reins. My bros and I had reins and galloped about being horses, great fun.

Yesterday it was said only the short video of the boy being dragged through the water was being shown because the rest was too graphic.
Now it supposed to be showing the gorilla looking after him

The whole situation is so sad
Sounds like the boy was determined to get to the gorilla if he went through Barriers etc
Yes the area should be completely secure so that in no way can anyone get to such a dangerous animal
He is only 4 so young
The parents can't watch his every move kids do wonder off
So sad that the gorilla had to be killed no other option

fair

Obviously those parents you have seen getting out wipes, speaking to another child or taking photos are negligent bbbaaaaaadddd parents

And not mums-netters

Oh and dear vigilant ggooooooddd parents on this and the other threads...i have three children, one got lost once, one twice , one never. Same parents, same level of vigilence...different levels of luck

I like this: www.facebook.com/sanctimommy/posts/1132768733410166

I dont the zoo is to blame. The child clearly didnt 'easily' wander into the enclosure.
If that was the case,there would be kids every day doing the same
It was an accident.
I guess accidents will happen when we put wild animals into captivity. Its not foolproof.
As i said we force them into captivity to gawp at and when an accident happens we are shocked that the animal might be unpredictable.
If this was an accident on safari would it be different?

The zoo has been officially warned several times recently for having poorly maintained enclosures and animals escaping, so I'd say it is to blame.

Did you see the picture of the fence? It was a little 3ft fence with horizontal, spaced wires, with bushes behind it then a drop. Pretty easy for a 3yo to get through.

I havent seen the pics or read of any warnings.
Still parents have to take some responsibility. They aRe taking childrwn to a place where wild animals are kept!!
And i still do not believe a child could slip in easily

I've seen the fence. My 2 year old would be over that given half a chance. She would never get half a chance, because I know She has no sense of danger. But all it would take would be for me to be distracted with my ten month old and let go of her hand/reins and she could be off like a shot. I'm not saying I would let go of her, jus that I can see how it could happen, especially as this boy was older than my dd. And especially with such crappy barriers.

The parents are utterly to blame. Kids should not be climbing fences. Its a zoo, not a playground. I'm a responsible parent. You could give me 1000 kids to look after, not 1 would end up in a gorilla enclosure.

One thing which strikes me is that the marksperson must have been a very, very good shot. The boy was between the gorillas legs apparantly at the time.

sharia

See most of us arent arrogant enough to make such claims

Is arrogant the word im thinking of

I wish people would look at the photos in the thread, no climbing was necessary

When I used to take my children to zoos it would not even have crossed my mind that one of them, at the age of 4, could get into a wild animal enclosure. I used to have the occasional paranoid worry about the animals getting out.... But never a child getting in.

Sharia, that is a silly thing to say - if you really did have 1000 kids to look after, then quite a few would undoubtedly end up in the gorilla enclosure! More than that, probably. Unless you were thinking of tieing them all up, or locking them all in the reptile house.... Personally, if I had to look after 1000 kids at the zoo, I'd ensure I owned a 100% effective magic wand.