"The director of a US zoo has defended the decision to shoot a gorilla after a small boy fell into its enclosure.
Thayne Maynard of Cincinnati Zoo said he would make the same call today as the gorilla was agitated and was hurting the four-year-old.
The killing of the male western lowland gorilla, Harambe, has sparked anger.
The boy's family said in a statement released to US media that he was "doing just fine" and thanked zoo staff for their quick action.
"We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla," the family are reported as saying.
The child has not been publicly identified.
Mr Maynard said it was easy to say things should have been done differently after the incident was over and the child was safe, but people making those criticisms "don't understand primate biology... and the danger the child was in".
REUTERS
AP
Video footage of Saturday's incident shows the gorilla dragging the child through the moat in its enclosure.
Mr Maynard described how Harambe "swished him around in the water by the ankle" then carried him on to land.
The gorilla "wasn't trying to eat the child," he said, "but he was disorientated and wanted to get the child to stay there".
The screams from the crowd were adding to Harambe's agitation, the zoo director said.
REUTERS
US wildlife biologist Jeff Corwin told the BBC that he did not think zoo staff had any alternative as the gorilla was so powerful - easily six to eight times as powerful as an adult male human.
Tranquilising a large animal is not instant, he said. It could take many minutes and require multiple darts.
Harambe was born in captivity in Texas and moved to Cincinnati zoo in 2014, where it was hoped he could be part of the breeding programme. Fifty gorilla babies have been born at the zoo in the past 46 years, Mr Maynard said.
Western lowland gorillas are the most numerous of the four gorilla subspecies and live in the rainforests of central Africa. They mainly eat plants and fruit."
- BBC News
what would you do if it was your kid???
ReplyDeleteIf I were taking a child to the zoo, I would keep a close eye on them! However, accidents do happen... maybe the should have designed the enclosure to be more secure, so that children couldn't get in.
DeleteIf it was my kid, I would hold his hand, but if he still fell in there, I would go with shooting the gorilla so I can have my kid back. Why did they do it if the gorilla was helping the child?
Deleteif it was my kid i would want it to be shot who know's what he could do
ReplyDeleteI would want it to be shot, but how did the child fall in?
DeleteI would be scared for him if he was my kid but seeing as he is doing fine now I would be sad the gorilla had to die. Sophia G
ReplyDeleteI bet there was another way and the gorilla mite not even want to harm to the child. william
ReplyDeleteIf it was my kid i would what my child out but not by killing the poor animal. Myro.m
ReplyDeleteI think the parents should of been keeping a close eye on there child because what if it was a lion or tiger enclosure it would be more dangerous.Trinity M
ReplyDeleteWhy are they protesting when it won't make the gorilla come back to life? What's the point?
ReplyDeleteGood point Mitchell its just going to make thing's worse
DeleteI think the gorilla has the same rights as a human and did not deserve to be shot. If you were the zoo keeper would you shoot the gorilla?
ReplyDeleteAt first I would shoot the gorilla with some tranquilizer darts and see what he was doing while it kicks in if he's hurting the boy I would shoot the gorilla.Trinity M
DeleteI would not want to but if a human was in the cage that had the power to kill the boy would you shot the human? Sophia G
DeleteWhat do you think the gorilla was trying to do with the child, save it or harm it?
ReplyDeleteI think save him because the boy was not harmed and the gorilla did not make any signs that indicated that he was going to harm the boy. Sophia G
DeleteI think that he was curious about the boy because he had never seen one in his enclosure before and didn't know what to think of it. I think that it would not have hurt it anyway. :)
Deletedo you think the gorillas death was necessary? Trinity M
ReplyDeleteNo because he was not trying kill the boy. They could have knocked him out and then rescued the boy. Sophia G
DeleteI think they made a good chose they could of made of better chose. but if they had better knowledge of the animal and they knew it was nice they could of waited for the tranquilizer to kick in for it to fall a sleep. but over all what would you do if it was your kid.???
ReplyDeletewhat ways can you think of to solve this porblem if you were there? william
ReplyDeleteno i would not and i agree that they both have the right to stay alive but there was no won there that was spotting the ape there but the parents were there and pressurising the zoo keeper
ReplyDeleteReally no matter what way they went their will always be someone who agrees and someone who disagree.
ReplyDeleteI think that they should have shot the gorilla with a tranquilizer even if it took long to affect the gorilla
ReplyDeletei think that the gorilla probably wasnt trying to hurt the boy and the didnt need to shot it.
ReplyDelete