The mom’s original FB post was mostly focused on thanking God that her son wasn’t killed and that there were people there to help. Maybe if she had a publicist, she would have said the right words to sound like she was taking responsibility. Saying she just said “accidents happen” is really simplifying what she said by a lot.
I find it a little strange that even a rambunctious 4 year old would catapult himself over a 15 foot drop. I would think most 4 year olds would have the protective sense to realize not to navigate that kind of drop. The fall alone could have been more damaging.
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I know! That’s why I said even my very rambunctious young man most likely would not have done that. I do believe the set up would have given him pause i.e. scared him.
Unless it’s for a public-safety hazard that could cause mass devastation if unleashed (e.g., a dam reservoir, a nuclear powerplant) it is unreasonable to design to the standard of safeguarding against the determined 0.0001% who are vying for the Darwin Award.
At that point, he was inside the exhibit. The exhibit shouldn’t have been designed in a way that allowed him to get inside.
The latest news reports say that this kid was 3. Toddlers are pretty much by definition candidates for the Darwin Award.
IMO, the very fact that not one of the millions of children who have passed through that exhibit since the 70s has had a problem until this incident proves (to me) that the zoo DID take proper steps to keep guests, especially children, safe. There will never, ever, EVER be something that is completely, 100% safe unless we do not keep and display large, non-human animals.
Also, I had an immediate, negative reaction when I read the mother’s post. If god was really involved in all of this, why didn’t s/he stop the child from falling into the enclosure in the first place? That way, an innocent life would’ve been saved.
The random questions thread has been talking about this, too. There is an excellent and informative post there by a former gorilla keeper, AboutTheSame.
How ironic that this particular male endangered-species gorilla was brought in from a Texas zoo for the express purpose of mating him with the Cincinnati zoo’s two females. Instead the loan was a shortcut to removal from the gene pool…
Disney is not at all safe for a preschooler running loose – at least, not for this flavor of preschooler. It would be very easy to climb a fence and throw yourself in front of a train if you wanted to. You could readily get out of the Jungle Cruise and other kid-friendly rides, and we all know kids can drown in 4 inches of water.
I believe AboutTheSame was quoting former zookeeper, Amanda O’Donoughue’s [recent Facebook post](http://www.themalaymailonline.com/features/article/gorilla-incident-former-zookeeper-says-shooting-the-ape-was-the-right-thing) on the subject in the random questions thread, not that he is the former zookeeper in question.
ETA: forgot Facebook was blocked here, included link to article instead.
Jack Hanna just explained (on TV) why a tranquilizer (as currently available) wouldn’t have worked, which is in line with what we’ve been thinking in that the animal would have reacted wildly and put the boy in greater danger. Which is no surprise, but still I wonder why someone in the bio/chemistry/animal studies fields, with all these great science brains out there, hasn’t figured out a way to develop an alternative to outright shooting him.
@GMTplus7 not that it will ever make up for the loss of Harambe, but they were able to salvage some viable sperm from him (I believe, but am not sure, after death).
The zoo director gives a different description of the barrier between humans and the exhibit.
“Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard said he stands by the decision to kill 17-year-old silverback Harambe to save the child. The boy went under a rail, through wires and over a moat wall to get into the enclosure, according to the zoo. Footage shot by a witness shows Harambe dragging the child through the water as the clamor of the crowd grows louder.”
The boy passed over or under the railing, made it through the bushes, through wires, and over the moat.
I think Harambe initially had the child’s best interests at heart. He climbed down into the water and carried him back up to dry land. He really had to be confused by the public’s reaction. Screaming, shouting, and pushing forward.
I love zoos. I have loved zoos my entire life. The good zoos have made vast improvements. Gone are the days when zoos tried to exhibit one of every animal. Zoos provide more natural environments and the social groups are similar to wild animals.
I agree with the decision the zoo made. They couldn’t predict how the animal would act in the next seconds or minutes.
I am sad that Harambe was killed. He was a strikingly beautiful gorilla. Thankfully his sperm was collected prior to his death and his lineage may life on.
Maybe they need electric fences like they use for livestock between the fence and the drop. Shock that little bugger of a kid back to his mom. A little negative reinforcement can come in handy sometimes.
And back to issue of parenting… The mom doesn’t deserve all the blame. The dad is the father of 6-- four of which with this mom. The dad could do more parenting instead of procreating.
No. This is just the nature of open exhibition. It is OPEN. Anyone can get in but railings advise you to stand back. Letting loose a rambunctious boy in an open exhibition is not all that different from holding a child over the fence if an open exhibition is what I think it is.
I’m one of the ones who say the parents should have been more vigilant. I’d be blaming myself if my wild child had done this. Oh, we had episodes, don’t think I’m saying I didn’t make mistakes. Still and all, *I was responsible for him. That said, I do not believe the parents should be charged. It’s done, he’s safe and let’s all pray he stays that way. I have a feeling he’s a live wire.
“A primate expert says shooting the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla was ‘drastic’ and the ape was not ‘overly aggressive’…”
The anti-Jack Hanna opinion.
FWIW, the woman who shot the video is on the news right now and said that she never saw a father there. (This is NOT to blame the mom or anything of the sort. Just throwing something out there since several of us, including me, are confused about who was there and what happened.)
Wait for the parents to sue the zoo for millions due to the trauma they caused themselves by their own negligence.
None of the bystanders nor the mom’s FB posts make mention of the father being there.