Cincinnati Zoo kills gorilla after child gets into his cage, May 28, 2016

[BayouBelle_LA]

I'm not so sure I would hold the zoo responsible. It might depend on whether or not their enclosure was up to code for housing a gorilla.

When we enter private property like a mall or a zoo there is some assumption of risk. A reasonable person should know that if they let their child climb into a gorilla enclosure that harm will likely come. For those not so reasonable people there are signs. jmo

 

[Tillicum]

I wonder how many bystanders could have stepped in and grabbed that child after his mother was clearly unable to supervise him sufficiently.

I can't believe the number of times I've witnessed a tiny child open a store door and wander out in the parking lot while adults watch in a bored fashion.

How many adults stood there and witnessed this child breeching the gorilla enclosure, and did nothing?

Brittany Nicely tried to stop the boy from getting into the Gorilla World enclosure.
“I tried to prevent it, I tried to grab him and I just couldn’t get to him fast enough,” said Nicely, who was standing next to the boy’s mother.
The Fairborn woman said after the boy was in the enclosure, the gorilla Harambe was “pulling him around almost as if it was his own.”

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n...o-cincinnati-zoo/nrWkg/?videoIconPresent=true

 

[DexterMorgan]

In all honesty. I'm glad the kid lived and I am sorry that the primate had to die.

But in all honesty. I love this thread because it wasn't a rape and murder while stealing $5 .

SO I am sorry the gorilla died. But I'm also happy that Dennis the menace wasn't killed as well.

But if mom tries to sue. Then mom should feel the raft of the public. Jmo.

 

[LinasK]

I agree, I am very sad for the gorilla - however, they had no choice. They couldn't just stand by and wait to see what he was going to do even though it appeared he was not going to intentionally harm the little guy. I can't imagine being a parent and watching this happen to your child. Kids get into everything at that age - it looks like a ways down so he must have fallen? once through the fence. I blame the zoo completely.

BBM. This is a first for this zoo, now they will need to change their enclosures, but I blame the child's parents, not the zoo. He was repeatedly told no and he still climbed in, not fell!!

 

[HMSHood]

Why did this take 10 minutes?

This one caught my attention.

VIDEO: Gorilla grabs child who's gotten into habitat
http://www.wlwt.com/news/video-gorilla-grabs-child-whos-fallen-into-habitat/39774904

O’Connor says she heard the 4-year-old saying he wanted to jump into the gorilla’s habitat before the incident. The boy’s mother was also tending to several other young children.

“The little boy himself had already been talking about wanting to ... get in the water. The mother's like, 'No, you're not, no, you're not,'” O’Connor said.

O’Connor tried to help keep others calm while zoo officials moved in but left before Harambe was shot. In total, the boy was in the enclosure for 10 to 15 minutes, fire officials said.

I have to wonder why the mother did not just grab her son and hold onto him.

 

[LinasK]

I know this is frustrating but Mom's can't be everywhere 100% of the time. It is just an unfortunate incident - not Mom's fault IMO

Yeah it is. If your child can't be watched near a dangerous animal's enclosure, then you have NO business being there with your child!!! I raised a 4-year-old and we went to the zoo often. Never once was she in a situation like that! Bad parenting.

 

[LinasK]

I hope this is just written in the heat of the moment, so to speak, and you don't actually think that. Of course a four year old child is more valuable than any animal. Adults, I'll grant you, may be a different matter.
Four year olds are still just babies. They need constant supervision and guidance. This is 100% the parents fault, not the child's fault. If the child is 'uncontrollable' it's the parent's fault, not the child's. I have a 4 year old with special needs who isn't 'uncontrollable'.

I personally hate zoos. Every time I've been to one since becoming an adult they just make me sad. I don't know that they really achieve what they say they are for. Most people leave them at the end of their visit and never think of the animals again. It's just mindless entertainment, I don't think most people use them as a way to really learn anything. The breeding and conservation aspects could be done better out of the public eye and in more natural environments. Animals have intrinsic value, they don't need to be cheap and cheerful entertainment to be worth something.

Actually right now I'm reading a novel about a wildlife refuge- granted it's fiction- but the premise is that visitors get educated by seeing species they will never visit in the wild. (I will probably never go to Africa in my lifetime). And these visitors get educated and bring in donations. Zoos have tried to make their environments more naturalistic as a whole.

 

[gregjrichards]

There is now a change.org petition to hold the parents financially accountable. I signed it. It's titled Justice for Harambe

I'm not surprised many people are really angry about this.

In all honesty. I'm glad the kid lived and I am sorry that the primate had to die.

But in all honesty. I love this thread because it wasn't a rape and murder while stealing $5 .

SO I am sorry the gorilla died. But I'm also happy that Dennis the menace wasn't killed as well.

But if mom tries to sue. Then mom should feel the raft of the public. Jmo.

I agree with you entirely. I'm an animal lover but this little boy was in immediate danger of death and something had to be done. Tranquilliser darts don't work immediately and the zoo couldn't take the risk. Can you imagine the barrage of bad press worldwide the zoo would get if the young boy had been killed. The parents better not sue but if they do the zoo should counter sue back. It wouldn't surprise me if child services don't launch an investigation into this. Not that I'm suggesting they should.

 

[HMSHood]

I don't know why it angers me so much to hear the mother screaming "Mommy's here!" No, Mom... you weren't there and that is why this happened.

I heard the voice and she did not all upset and scared as I would expect.

 

[HMSHood]

In all honesty. I'm glad the kid lived and I am sorry that the primate had to die.

But in all honesty. I love this thread because it wasn't a rape and murder while stealing $5 .

SO I am sorry the gorilla died. But I'm also happy that Dennis the menace wasn't killed as well.

But if mom tries to sue. Then mom should feel the raft of the public. Jmo.

The mother's name is all over the Internet. She is getting shamed as I type.

Seen this happen to people in the past. It is not pretty.

A list of people who have been shamed.
Dog Poop Girl
Lori Drew/Ashley Grills
South Hadley 6
Jennifer Petkov
Cooks Source
Matt Bowman/Lawaun Edwards
Adam Smith (Chick-Fil-A)
Jonah Lehrer
Adria Richards/Two Men At PyCon
Alicia Ann Lynch
Justine Sacco
Lindsey Stone
Holly Jones (Kilroy's Bar N' Grill)
Monica Foy

Many of them lost their jobs and become very isolated. If they had their own business, it folded. Some move out of where they live.

 

[LinasK]

Brittany Nicely tried to stop the boy from getting into the Gorilla World enclosure.
“I tried to prevent it, I tried to grab him and I just couldn’t get to him fast enough,” said Nicely, who was standing next to the boy’s mother.
The Fairborn woman said after the boy was in the enclosure, the gorilla Harambe was “pulling him around almost as if it was his own.”

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/n...o-cincinnati-zoo/nrWkg/?videoIconPresent=true

So why didn't his own mother try to grab him??? :banghead::banghead::banghead:Too busy with the other little kids she brought?
Thank you to Brittany Nicely for trying to prevent this despite the lack of effort of his own mother!!

 

[LaborDayRN]

RSBM

Pretty sure a ladder would've worked.
It seems they (zoo staff) should have tried to distract the gorilla--and not just shoot it right away ? And what if they'd shot the child by accident ?

Then again perhaps not. Trying to think of possible options to having to shoot a magnificent animal.
We are losing some of Earth's precious animals and that's tragic.

Actually they did try to distract it and were successful at getting the other 2 gorillas out of the habitat.

 

[LinasK]

Why did this take 10 minutes?

This one caught my attention.

VIDEO: Gorilla grabs child who's gotten into habitat
http://www.wlwt.com/news/video-gorilla-grabs-child-whos-fallen-into-habitat/39774904

O’Connor says she heard the 4-year-old saying he wanted to jump into the gorilla’s habitat before the incident. The boy’s mother was also tending to several other young children.

“The little boy himself had already been talking about wanting to ... get in the water. The mother's like, 'No, you're not, no, you're not,'” O’Connor said.

O’Connor tried to help keep others calm while zoo officials moved in but left before Harambe was shot. In total, the boy was in the enclosure for 10 to 15 minutes, fire officials said.

I have to wonder why the mother did not just grab her son and hold onto him.

I would've grabbed the kid and left the area/zoo! He told her exactly what he intended to do and wasn't taking "no" for an answer.

 

[LinasK]

The mother's name is all over the Internet. She is getting shamed as I type.

Haven't seen it, but I can't say I'm sorry for her:snootyoor parenting on her part! Glad the kid survived, but at a terrible, needless cost! Hope the brat learned his lesson.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I'm not so sure I would hold the zoo responsible.It might depend on whether or not their enclosure was up to code for housing a gorilla.

When we enter private property like a mall or a zoo there is some assumption of risk. A reasonable person should know that if they let their child climb into a gorilla enclosure that harm will likely come. For those not so reasonable people there are signs. jmo

BBM: For anyone interested, here is the: Management of Gorillas in Captivity Husbandry Manual: Gorilla Species Survival Plan All 386 pages of it. Editors: Jacqueline Ogden, Zoological Society of San Diego Dan Wharton, Wildlife Conservation http://www.gorillassp.org/MembersSection/MembersOnlyForms/Gorilla Husbandry Manual.pdf

 

[perfectingpink]

Yeah it is. If your child can't be watched near a dangerous animal's enclosure, then you have NO business being there with your child!!! I raised a 4-year-old and we went to the zoo often. Never once was she in a situation like that! Bad parenting.

My youngest son was a handful. He was walking/running at 9 months, caught swinging from our chandelier at 10 months and could unbuckle his car seat and unlock doors around the same time. The child was a walking tornado. Knowing all of this, we put locks at the top of the doors. He got out once because my husband brother, even though he was told he had to let one of us know when he walked out the door,he didn't. We had a stranger bring my baby up to our house and I have never been more frightened or angry but it never happened again. My job became to assume no one would do what needed to be done for our little guy (my gosh, I wasn't sure I was capable.) I was the mother who "leashed" her child (actually, the leash only lasted a few weeks because he quickly found that all he had to do was lean away long enough and the leash would come undone...he is still too smart for his own good!) and did everything to circumvent my child's demise despite his seeming death wish. So, it really bothers me this parent did not anticipate her child's actions. I assume he was a child like mine was and I KNEW I always had to have a hand on him or his hand on me at all times. Children are curious and some VERY energetic, but we as parents know this by the time the child is 3 or 4 and it is our responsibility to keep them safe.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Why did this take 10 minutes?

This one caught my attention.

VIDEO: Gorilla grabs child who's gotten into habitat
http://www.wlwt.com/news/video-gorilla-grabs-child-whos-fallen-into-habitat/39774904

O’Connor says she heard the 4-year-old saying he wanted to jump into the gorilla’s habitat before the incident. The boy’s mother was also tending to several other young children.

“The little boy himself had already been talking about wanting to ... get in the water. The mother's like, 'No, you're not, no, you're not,'” O’Connor said.

O’Connor tried to help keep others calm while zoo officials moved in but left before Harambe was shot. In total, the boy was in the enclosure for 10 to 15 minutes, fire officials said.

I have to wonder why the mother did not just grab her son and hold onto him.

I believe they were trying in vain to get Harambe out of the habitat and to safety. IMO the hope was that they could save both Harambi and the child. Heartbreaking for Harambe and all those who cared for him daily.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Yeah it is. If your child can't be watched near a dangerous animal's enclosure, then you have NO business being there with your child!!! I raised a 4-year-old and we went to the zoo often. Never once was she in a situation like that! Bad parenting.

When my children were small and we went to places like the zoo, Disneyland etc........I kept them close, and there they stayed. I was worried about everything. Especially the animals of the human kind.

 

[LaborDayRN]

Actually right now I'm reading a novel about a wildlife refuge- granted it's fiction- but the premise is that visitors get educated by seeing species they will never visit in the wild. (I will probably never go to Africa in my lifetime). And these visitors get educated and bring in donations. Zoos have tried to make their environments more naturalistic as a whole.

May I ask the name of the book LinasK?

 

[LinasK]

My youngest son was a handful. He was walking/running at 9 months, caught swinging from our chandelier at 10 months and could unbuckle his car seat and unlock doors around the same time. The child was a walking tornado. Knowing all of this, we put locks at the top of the doors. He got out once because my husband brother, even though he was told he had to let one of us know when he walked out the door,he didn't. We had a stranger bring my baby up to our house and I have never been more frightened or angry but it never happened again. My job became to assume no one would do what needed to be done for our little guy (my gosh, I wasn't sure I was capable.) I was the mother who "leashed" her child (actually, the leash only lasted a few weeks because he quickly found that all he had to do was lean away long enough and the leash would come undone...he is still too smart for his own good!) and did everything to circumvent my child's demise despite his seeming death wish. So, it really bothers me this parent did not anticipate her child's actions. I assume he was a child like mine was and I KNEW I always had to have a hand on him or his hand on me at all times. Children are curious and some VERY energetic, but we as parents know this by the time the child is 3 or 4 and it is our responsibility to keep them safe.

We used a leash on her in the video store. Told her we were wearing matching bracelets and she bought it. Kept her from wandering away/being abducted while we selected videos to rent.
Rumors are circulating on FB now, that in addition to having multiple little kids to watch, she was on FB on her cell phone!!! GRRRR!!!!!