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

[Mrs G Norris]

If he wanted to kill the kid, he had plenty of time.But he didn't. I don't agree that they had to kill him (not at all). He was agitated by people screaming. Once these screaming people were removed, he would have most likely calmed down. Then (per some experts) zoo could have offered him his favorite food so he would give up the child.

After seeing the footage of him dragging the boy through the water I disagree, remember the zoo officials who had to shoot him have way more knowledge and experience than us and were actually there, as well as being attached and invested in Harambe, so I'm going to go with their assessment .. I'm sure they did the right and necessary thing as unfortunate as it was.

 

[jjenny]

And meanwhile, while the screaming people are being removed, Harambe is swinging the child around by its leg the way a mischievous boy swings his little sister's doll. It wasn't necessary that Harambe have any intent to harm the boy for very serious injuries (or death) to occur.

Sadly, once the inattentive mom allowed her child to enter the enclosure, Harambe's fate was sealed.

In several other instances of children ending up in gorilla's enclosures, gorillas were not killed. And the kids were retrieved.

 

[sonjay]

In several other instances of children ending up in gorilla's enclosures, gorillas were not killed. And the kids were retrieved.

Every situation is different. Zoo officials had to make that decision "right now," and the wrong decision could have ended with the child being killed. Every gorilla and primate expert that has weighed in on this situation has agreed with the decision to shoot Harambe. Sometimes, you just have to do something that you really really don't want to do, because the potential downside of not doing it is too horrendous to contemplate. And you don't have the luxury of armchair-quarterbacking it during replays.

 

[Dockins]

In several other instances of children ending up in gorilla's enclosures, gorillas were not killed. And the kids were retrieved.

True, but the gorillas were acting very differently in those cases. One held and carried the child to the zookeepers' gate, and the other just touched the child and retreated.

 

[KaaBoom]

In several other instances of children ending up in gorilla's enclosures, gorillas were not killed. And the kids were retrieved.

And two of the three gorillas involved in this incident were not killed either. Killing the gorilla was a last resort.

 

[jjenny]

Every situation is different. Zoo officials had to make that decision "right now," and the wrong decision could have ended with the child being killed. Every gorilla and primate expert that has weighed in on this situation has agreed with the decision to shoot Harambe. Sometimes, you just have to do something that you really really don't want to do, because the potential downside of not doing it is too horrendous to contemplate. And you don't have the luxury of armchair-quarterbacking it during replays.

Not every expert.

 

[jjenny]

And two of the three gorillas involved in this incident were not killed either. Killing the gorilla was a last resort.

Are you suggesting that it would be o'key to kill the two gorillas that weren't even there?

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

I think we need to be careful about anthropomorphizing. No one can know what the animal was thinking or intending, or even if he was thinking at all.

And first responders' reports show he wasn't being kind and gentle.

http://m.wlwt.com/news/police-responding-incident-at-cincinnati-zoo/39773436

A Cincinnati fire department incident report says that the gorilla "was violently dragging and throwing the child" when they were called.



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[jjenny]

I think we need to be careful about anthropomorphizing. No one can know what the animal was thinking or intending, or even if he was thinking at all.

And first responders' reports show he wasn't being kind and gentle.

http://m.wlwt.com/news/police-responding-incident-at-cincinnati-zoo/39773436

A Cincinnati fire department incident report says that the gorilla "was violently dragging and throwing the child" when they were called.



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You would think the kid would have some injuries to show for it. Yet he has no broken bones.

 

[sonjay]

Not every expert.

What primate or gorilla expert has disagreed with that decision?

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

You would think the kid would have some injuries to show for it. Yet he has no broken bones.

He had a concussion.

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[jjenny]

He had a concussion.

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He did drop 15 feet into the moat (which he had done on his own).

 

[sonjay]

I think we need to be careful about anthropomorphizing. No one can know what the animal was thinking or intending, or even if he was thinking at all.

And first responders' reports show he wasn't being kind and gentle.

http://m.wlwt.com/news/police-responding-incident-at-cincinnati-zoo/39773436

A Cincinnati fire department incident report says that the gorilla "was violently dragging and throwing the child" when they were called.

I tend to think that the experts on the ground, who know the gorilla best and who can assess the immediate situation, and who will be the targets of blame, accusations and finger-pointing (and potential criminal charges) if the boy ends up dead are the ones who are best qualified to make that immediate decision. Not armchair critics watching edited video replays days afterward.

 

[jjenny]

I tend to think that the experts on the ground, who know the gorilla best and who can assess the immediate situation, and who will be the targets of blame, accusations and finger-pointing (and potential criminal charges) if the boy ends up dead are the ones who are best qualified to make that immediate decision. Not armchair critics watching edited video replays days afterward.

What would they be potentially criminally charged for? And what if the guy who shot the gorilla missed and hit the kid instead (gorilla could have moved the kid during the shot)? Would you then have him charged with murder? What if gorilla was wounded but not killed? It would have produced the same effect as tranquilizer.

 

[sonjay]

What would they be potentially criminally charged for? And what if the guy who shot the gorilla missed? What if gorilla was wounded but not killed? It would have produced the same effect as tranquilizer.

And what if Harambe crushed the boy's skull? What if he picked up the child and bashed him against the stones hard enough to break his neck? What if the mom had been properly attentive to her child? You can "what if" till the cows come home, but as it turns out, the little boy is still alive.

 

[JeannaT]

I think the fact that this child jumped down a 15 foot embankment is being glossed over too easily here.

Yes, 4 year olds do impulsive things. They color on the walls. They bonk the dog in the face with a toy. They dart away from Mom in a crowded mall.

But they don't jump down 15 foot cement embankments. I am still shaking my head at the lack of survival instinct this child had.

 

[jjenny]

And what if Harambe crushed the boy's skull? What if he picked up the child and bashed him against the stones hard enough to break his neck? What if the mom had been properly attentive to her child? You can "what if" till the cows come home, but as it turns out, the little boy is still alive.

He certainly had enough time to do these things if he was so inclined (but he didn't, did he?). Frankly, if he killed the child right away he would probably be alive. Painted dogs that mauled the boy who fell into their enclosure weren't euthanized. Tiger who killed his keeper wasn't euthanized. Killer whale (who killed several people) wasn't euthanized and in fact was used for breeding numerous times by Sea World.

 

[nomoresorrow]

Having looked at some video posted on youtube of the scrub barrier in front of the Gorilla World exhibit, I can understand how the mother missed seeing her little one sneak in. I myself would have never expected there was enough space BENEATH the scrubbery to allow for anyone, even a child, to get through. I have similar scrubbery on the south perimeter of my property and, after looking at it to see if a child could climb underneath it because of this case, I can tell you that the only thing I can see getting through it are rodents and perhaps a determined cat. I think the mom was thinking (speculation/opinion) that , if he tried to get in, it would be by climbing up on/over the scrubbery - not snaking down and under. For those who have been VERY fortunate to have never had a child unexpectedly do something incredibly foolish/dangerous in split seconds; good for you, thank God, and count your lucky stars!

 

[KaaBoom]

Are you suggesting that it would be o'key to kill the two gorillas that weren't even there?

You need to read the articles to understand what happened. Three gorillas were involved. Two were not threatening the child. They were called out of the exhibit, and left. One gorilla stayed and continued to threaten the child’s safety. That gorilla was shot and killed. End of story.

 

[jjenny]

You need to read the articles to understand what happened. Three gorillas were involved. Two were not threatening the child. They were called out of the exhibit, and left. One gorilla stayed and continued to threaten the child’s safety. That gorilla was shot and killed. End of story.

If it's the 'end of story" why are you here discussing it? And what makes you think I haven't read the articles?