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

[LietKynes]

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.

SABBM

Couldn't agree more. Was she on her phone ? Or did she think the zoo was like a free daycare--and treated the place as such ?
There are those who treat the public school system as if it was a free daycare/babysitter --then they go ballistic if their child gets beaten up or bullied.
Infuriating.

I've always been fascinated by these large, magnificent beasts. It's a tragedy that one of them had to be put down because of the foolishness of a parent.

It's also sad they didn't use a tranquilizer. For a zoo that purports to take good care of their animals--they failed miserably !
:moo:

Rest in peace, Harambe.

 

[LietKynes]

They did it in the previous case to which I posted the link. But here it is again. They jumped into enclosure, got the kid and didn't kill Jumbo the gorilla.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...c-moment-30-years-says-t-wait-kids-there.html

RSBM

Thanks for posting that, jjenny !
All the zookeepers had to do was walk into the enclosure and bring some extra food with them , take the child and leave. Simple.
Or just use a tranq.
There was never any need to kill the animal. Clearly misinformed as to the behavior and care of a gorilla.
MOO

 

[Kakidoll]

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

Now lets see how long it takes mom to sue the zoo.

 

[drjones]

Lots of misinformation and accusations being thrown around in here.

 

[DexterMorgan]

Now lets see how long it takes mom to sue the zoo.

Hopefully she is content with still having her child alive and not be sued for disobeying the big signs that are throughout the zoo and areas that tell you to stay behind the gate, and watch your kids. She is definitely negligent and not following the rules and posts of the zoo. Jmo

 

[KaaBoom]

So if this family went to the mall, and kid got on the railings and jumped off, would you be screaming that railings weren't safely designed and all malls should get rid of railings? If they went to the park and kid run into the middle of the road and got hit by a car, should we get rid of all cars? A lot of dangerous all around that a child can get into. Sometimes world isn't designed for all the things the kid can get into.

This incident would be impossible to happen at any responsibly designed mall. You would expect a zoo with dangerous and endangered animals to take at least the same amount of care to ensure the safety of their visitors, that a common shopping mall would, but they do not. These incident are happening over and over at zoos, they are not happening at shopping malls. The solutions are easy and cheap.

 

[flourish]

It's almost amusing to read all these posts that say, "all they had to do was..." as though we're the gorilla experts and the zoo workers are just a bunch of idiots.

 

[Bravo]

Deeply saddened by this. Have I missed exactly what the 3 barriers were? I don't get it. You just don't leave a child unsupervised long enough to accomplish this. If he had been taken by somebody from the Zoo we would be on a different thread. Here. Just saying.....Deeply sorry this Gorilla had to die.

 

[monster12]

Deeply saddened by this. Have I missed exactly what the 3 barriers were? I don't get it. You just don't leave a child unsupervised long enough to accomplish this. If he had been taken by somebody from the Zoo we would be on a different thread. Here. Just saying.....Deeply sorry this Gorilla had to die.

I've read and saw pictures that there was a metal fence, rope barrier, bushes, and then the wall he fell down. I can't find an "official" source to post however.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bravo]

I cant question how this was handled as far as the decision to kill the Gorilla. He was a 400 lb. animal with a small child. He could have killed that child in seconds. As much as it pains me to type this. It just should not have happened. Again I don't get a Parent not supervising their Child in a Public Place with eyes on at all times. No matter what behavior the child may be exhibiting.

 

[KaaBoom]

Apparently there are new, more modern ways to do that even though this zoo hadn't thought it necessary previously. They can consult with the San Francisco Zoo, which still has tigers on display despite one escaping and having to be killed because it was taunted with sticks and rocks thrown at it.

I don’t think the SF Zoo would be a good one for them to consult. In that case, the zoo knew that their enclosure did not meet Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) safety requirements, and that the tiger enclosure was insufficient to contain the animals. They admitted wrong doing and paid out $900,000 for damages, and they fixed the issues to comply with AZA requirements, before the exhibit was allowed to reopen.

Tiger grotto wall shorter than thought, may have contributed to escape and fatal attack

Brothers receive $900,000 settlement for San Francisco zoo tiger attack

 

[Montjoy]

It's almost amusing to read all these posts that say, "all they had to do was..." as though we're the gorilla experts and the zoo workers are just a bunch of idiots.

Well, I remember many years ago seeing a very convincing cartoon in which a gorilla was lured into a cage trap with a trail of bananas.

 

[LaborDayRN]

They did it in the previous case to which I posted the link. But here it is again. They jumped into enclosure, got the kid and didn't kill Jumbo the gorilla.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...c-moment-30-years-says-t-wait-kids-there.html

That was actually an ambulance driver. I believe he jumped in on his own. I think an employer telling an employee that had to put their own life at risk would be different. in my opinion anyway.

 

[Eloise]

If this were a large snake I wouldn't feel this way, but there's a part of me that wonders really, is a boy more valuable than a severely endangered gorilla? I'm surprised I feel that way.

And I wouldn't feel that way if the child were an 18 month old that toddled into the enclosure. This is a 4 year old boy, who clearly knew he was doing wrong and did it anyway, and now this lovely gorilla is dead. I guess I want to hear an apology from his caretaker who must have known this child is absolutely uncontrollable - my guess is this isn't the first completely outrageous thing this child has done. And now it's cost the gorilla, dearly.

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.

 

[KaaBoom]

So now the zoos need enclosures for the guest as well as the animals. Wow.

Should we do this at train and subway stations as well. Or should parents simply make sure that their kids stay behind the yellow line or fence or whatever. Jmo.

Excellent idea. It’s being done in many parts of the world.

[video=youtube;I-Pec4GvDwQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Pec4GvDwQ[/video]

 

[Bravo]

Just throwing this thought out there but perhaps the Zoo handlers knew just how aggressive or passive this Gorilla could/would be. They would understand just how this incident and the screaming might add to his response. They have been around the Gorilla enough to judge personality and if he was highly agitated he may respond aggressively. I am sure it pained them to suffer this loss.

 

[al66pine]

This incident would be impossible to happen at any responsibly designed mall. You would expect a zoo with dangerous and endangered animals to take at least the same amount of care to ensure the safety of their visitors, that a common shopping mall would, but they do not. These incident are happening over and over at zoos, they are not happening at shopping malls. The solutions are easy and cheap.

If ^ mall escalator was blocked, leaving parents & kids standing gathered behind ^ glass barrier and
looking at three active western lowland gorillas w water feature or other wild animals,
does anyone think ^ 'obstacle' would physically prevent the Cincinnati 4 y/o kid or other kids from dropping to lower level? IDK.

IOW, would kid-entering-gorilla-habitat have been "impossible to happen at any responsibly designed mall"? IDK. Anyone? Thx in adv.

 

[LaborDayRN]

RSBM

Thanks for posting that, jjenny !
All the zookeepers had to do was walk into the enclosure and bring some extra food with them , take the child and leave. Simple.
Or just use a tranq.
There was never any need to kill the animal. Clearly misinformed as to the behavior and care of a gorilla.
MOO

The use of a tranquilizer was simply not possible. Animals aren't instantly knocked out. It makes them angry to be hit by a dart because it's painful and it can take several minutes for it to take effect making it more dangerous for the child. And zookeepers don't "walk in to the enclosure and bring some extra food with them" with a 400 lb, extremely strong animal. This is exactly how zookeepers are killed. I don't think you would want your loved one who is a zookeeper to be put in that situation. I know I wouldn't. Now if someone voluntarily jumped in, that's different, their decision. moo

 

[Montjoy]

I'm really in to zoos. Are you? Just asking - because I've seen recently there have been HUGE efforts made to make the animals more accessible, while keeping the animals enclosed.

And now this. Some kid breaches the barrier that no one had thought to do before - did you see that moat? It's not as if this kid weren't paying attention and slipped, or was hanging on the railing and somehow fell in. He purposely breeched the barrier and jumped down a 15 foot cement embankment.

How can a zoo prepare for that, and still allow the pubic access to enjoying the animals?

I live near a very large zoo. (Arguably, I also live in a small zoo.)

As for whether or not I am "in to them" -- a personal question, and a vague one, but I'll give it a shot.

I like the breeding programs that they have, though I am unsure what they do in the bigger picture, as it's not as if these programs are going to do much to reassert species into ever declining and changing habitats. But hope reigns eternal.

I enjoyed zoos when I was younger, and I'm lucky enough to have been to many of the world's finest.

I've since learned to find them a little bit sad, as they ultimately depend on putting animals into captivity. Most of the time, the captivity is physically safe, but really quite awful, if you look at it from a human perspective. I mean, if someone told you that you were going to be safe from external threats, fed enough to live every day, but stuck in a space that was a quarter the size (or a 10th, or whatever) of a city block for the rest of your live, would you think that was living? Add to it you had a steady stream of other species walking by you and looking at you. Would you feel free? Would you think that seems more like being free, or being in a sort of prison?

It's worth noting that there have been times when humans have been kept in zoos and shown in exhibitions as if zoos for the amusement of enlightened society. Oh yeah, and mental institutions used to be used as if zoos for the wealthy in many countries (see Foucault's "Madness and Civilization").

I know that many people who like zoos consider themselves as animal lovers. But is this captivity the greatest kindness we can show animals? And I don't quite understand why animals are to be enjoyed. They are living beings. We may enjoy them, but I think that they are not on this planet only to be enjoyed by humans.

You mentioned accessibility. Would having a plexiglass barrier that could not be climbed be such a deprivation to access? It would not cost much -- I mean, just speaking from my own experience, but I've never met a 4 year old ninja. Or is part of the spectacle the risk of being so close to something so dangerous? If that's the case, then I think that in the zoo experience, spectacle is trumping the love of animals.

As I've said before, if they can design zoo spaces to keep 400 pound gorillas in, they can keep 4 year old humans out.

 

[LaborDayRN]

It's almost amusing to read all these posts that say, "all they had to do was..." as though we're the gorilla experts and the zoo workers are just a bunch of idiots.

Agreed flourish.