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Gorilla shot in order to protect boy.

10K views 197 replies 92 participants last post by  2 Ton 21 
#1 ·
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#27 ·
I have been to this zoo many times over the years and I cannot fathom how anyone could get into that enclosure from the viewing area. Had the parents even spent less than 10 seconds paying attention to their child this whole situation could have been avoided. Little children like that have no concept of danger and will try to squeeze into any hole to try and get into stuff. But I suppose for some people it is more important to properly post the pictures you take with your phone instead of making sure your child is safe. Got to keep those "updates" current.

As for the people saying the gorilla should have been tranquilized instead of killed -

Shooting the gorilla was the absolute last resort. Every other gorilla in the enclosure responded to the Zoo staff and left the area immediately. They tried continually to get Harambe (the gorilla) to leave the child and return to them, but he would not move. Since he was standing directly over the child and was stressed out, tranquilizing him was not possible since he might have reacted in a way that would further hurt the child in the 10 minutes it would take for the drugs to work on him. There was also the concern he could lay down on top of the child while falling asleep, either crushing the child or causing him to drown. The decision to shoot him was not made lightly. They really had no choice.
 
#37 ·
Shooting the gorilla was the absolute last resort. Every other gorilla in the enclosure responded to the Zoo staff and left the area immediately. They tried continually to get Harambe (the gorilla) to leave the child and return to them, but he would not move. Since he was standing directly over the child and was stressed out, tranquilizing him was not possible since he might have reacted in a way that would further hurt the child in the 10 minutes it would take for the drugs to work on him. There was also the concern he could lay down on top of the child while falling asleep, either crushing the child or causing him to drown. The decision to shoot him was not made lightly. They really had no choice.
They should've tranquilised him and gambled with the kids' life. That gorilla was probably more important than that one kid in the conservation of the species. :no:
 
#3 · (Edited)
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

I saw this earlier. Story speaks for itself.

Lets cage an Animal, have people pay to look at everyday of it's life, and if some dumb parents let their little kid get in the enclosure, watch the Gorilla try to protect the child, then blow it's head off. Cool!

But remember - ZOOS ARE GOOD FOR ANIMALS, THEY LOVE BEING IMPRISONED ALL THEIR LIVES AND THEY LOVE YOU DUMB FUCKS STARING AT THEM ALL DAY! ZOOS ARE FUN!
 
#69 ·
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

Why couldn't they just tranquilize him?

Fuck my species sometimes, man.
Probably answered but tranquilizers don't work like movies or games :lmao. A gorilla isn't just gonna go to sleep a second after getting hit. Hell, it's behavior could drastically change for the worse.


Shame a gorilla had to die but they were thinking about the child which is more important. Maybe the Zoo will get an upgrade where kids can't just go anywhere they want.
 
#6 ·
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

Parents should be punished for bad parenting.
They should get a huge fine. Which should be donated to a Gorilla protection charity. Instead, they'll get paid to go on the news and talk about their ordeal. And how bad they feel for the Gorilla - Blah blah blah!
 
#2 ·
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

Poor gorilla.. As if being caged was not enough.
 
#137 ·
Unfortunate, but it had to be done.
Had that gorilla ripped the kid in half, even accidentally, people would be calling for the heads of the zookeepers for NOT shooting it.

I also hesitate to place too much blame on the parents. Yes, they should've been watching their kid more closely to prevent this whole thing but the reality is almost no parent watches each literal second of their kid's whereabouts and a second is all it really takes.
 
#141 ·
I also hesitate to place too much blame on the parents. Yes, they should've been watching their kid more closely to prevent this whole thing but the reality is almost no parent watches each literal second of their kid's whereabouts and a second is all it really takes.
Enough with the "bad parenting" shit. I'm not a parent, but I'm sure there's people here who are. Have you never made a mistake involving your child? This mistake just happened to turn into a fiasco.

We are so obsessed with the blame game. Sometimes, just chalk it up to a shitty situation, and move on. I understand if the parents are held legally responsible for any fallout, but that's different from the finger-wagging going on around this.
No, this is fucking absurd. If you are a parent and you take your kids somewhere that requires attentive watch of your children, then you fucking watch your children. It's not as simple as "I left Jimmy in the cot and went to take a shit and he ate his nappy and died", because that's a freak accident. Taking your kids out to places where they can climb up a wall or go through a hole in a fence when you're not looking, and NOT actually keeping an eye on your kid(s), is nothing but bad parenting.


If you're a parent of young children and your neighbour has an abusive dog, you would be wary enough to not even trust the CHANCE that dog could get into your yard when the kid is there. A good parent would talk to that neighbour to ensure the dog is under control and check the fences to make sure there's no way the dog can get in. This is literally the same thing, except you should have MORE of a mind to keep an eye on your kid in a large public place with potential hazards at every corner.


Zero. Excuse.
 
#11 ·
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

This is so sad to hear. I love gorillas my absolute favorite animals. Nobel yet savage in a weird way. I love gorillas so much my friends nicknamed me Kong. I agree. Parents should be fine and donate it to a gorilla relief foundation
 
#93 · (Edited)
All these gorilla experts in here that don't seem to have a lick of common sense. The Zoo made the right call. The power and the speed that child was being dragged at coupled with a rocky surface could have easily killed him if his head hit the wrong way. Sending in people to trying and take him is the most retarded idea I've heard all day throughout three forums. This is the only place I've seen that suggested. What does that tell ya? The gorilla was agitated. It would take plain stupidity to place more lives in danger hoping for what, an exchange? Tranquilizers? No gaurantee that the dart wouldn't have really set him off before the drugs took effect. Wouldnt take but seconds to rip a limb off the kid. I see some are ok with a kid ending up with broken bones. Would losing an arm be ok too?

This isn't like the case in Chile where an adult jumped into a lions enclosure. That was a suicide attempt. An adult making a decision. Damn right those lions shouldn't have died. This is a kid that doesn't have the cognitive ability to fully understand the danger. It's an arguable point that the mom was negligent. That's a separate case. If she's going to be punished it should be in a court of law. People here are seriously thinking that a four year old should be held accountable for his action all the way up to possible death?

Every possible solution that involved the gorilla living carried too great of risk. If they'd tried the other options and he killed the kid he'd have to be put down anyways. I know it's the "cool kid" thing to do to hate people on the Internet so I'm not shocked to see these responses, but anyone living under the delusion that any business or establishment would risk a 4 year old kids life to save an animal is pretty delusional. Sad story. I really hate to see an animal have to die but I see no other way
 
#117 ·
All these gorilla experts in here that don't seem to have a lick of common sense. The Zoo made the right call. The power and the speed that child was being dragged at coupled with a rocky surface could have easily killed him if his head hit the wrong way. Sending in people to trying and take him is the most retarded idea I've heard all day throughout three forums. This is the only place I've seen that suggested. What does that tell ya? The gorilla was agitated. It would take plain stupidity to place more lives in danger hoping for what, an exchange? Tranquilizers? No gaurantee that the dart wouldn't have really set him off before the drugs took effect. Wouldnt take but seconds to rip a limb off the kid. I see some are ok with a kid ending up with broken bones. Would losing an arm be ok too?

This isn't like the case in Chile where an adult jumped into a lions enclosure. That was a suicide attempt. An adult making a decision. Damn right those lions shouldn't have died. This is a kid that doesn't have the cognitive ability to fully understand the danger. It's an arguable point that the mom was negligent. That's a separate case. If she's going to be punished it should be in a court of law. People here are seriously thinking that a four year old should be held accountable for his action all the way up to possible death?

Every possible solution that involved the gorilla living carried too great of risk. If they'd tried the other options and he killed the kid he'd have to be put down anyways. I know it's the "cool kid" thing to do to hate people on the Internet so I'm not shocked to see these responses, but anyone living under the delusion that any business or establishment would risk a 4 year old kids life over an animal is pretty delusional. Sad story. I really hate to see an animal have to die but I see no other way
Thank god someone gets it.
 
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#128 · (Edited)
Not sure if this has been posted but this is the most level headed take on the story I've seen.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1203379103029809&set=a.136952966339100.18704.100000731932790&type=3&theater

I am going to try to clear up a few things that have been weighing on me about Harambe and the Cinci Zoo since I read the news this afternoon.
I have worked with Gorillas as a zookeeper while in my twenties (before children) and they are my favorite animal (out of dozens) that I have ever worked closely with. I am gonna go ahead and list a few facts, thoughts and opinions for those of you that aren't familiar with the species itself, or how a zoo operates in emergency situations.

Now Gorillas are considered 'gentle giants' at least when compared with their more aggressive cousins the chimpanzee, but a 400+ pound male in his prime is as strong as roughly 10 adult humans. What can you bench press? OK, now multiply that number by ten. An adult male silverback gorilla has one job, to protect his group. He does this by bluffing or intimidating anything that he feels threatened by.
Gorillas are considered a Class 1 mammal, the most dangerous class of mammals in the animal kingdom, again, merely due to their size and strength. They are grouped in with other apes, tigers, lions, bears, etc.

While working in an AZA accredited zoo with Apes, keepers DO NOT work in contact with them. Meaning they do NOT go in with these animals. There is always a welded mesh barrier between the animal and the humans.
In more recent decades, zoos have begun to redesign enclosures, removing all obvious caging and attempting to create a seamless view of the animals for the visitor to enjoy watching animals in a more natural looking habitat. *this is great until little children begin falling into exhibits* which of course can happen to anyone, especially in a crowded zoo-like setting.

I have watched this video over again, and with the silverback's postering, and tight lips, it's pretty much the stuff of any keeper's nightmares, and I have had MANY while working with them. This job is not for the complacent. Gorillas are kind, curious, and sometimes silly, but they are also very large, very strong animals. I always brought my OCD to work with me. checking and rechecking locks to make sure my animals and I remained separated before entering to clean.
I keep hearing that the Gorilla was trying to protect the boy. I do not find this to be true. Harambe reaches for the boys hands and arms, but only to position the child better for his own displaying purposes.

Males do very elaborate displays when highly agitated, slamming and dragging things about. Typically they would drag large branches, barrels and heavy weighted balls around to make as much noise as possible. Not in an effort to hurt anyone or anything (usually) but just to intimidate. It was clear to me that he was reacting to the screams coming from the gathering crowd.
Harambe was most likely not going to separate himself from that child without seriously hurting him first (again due to mere size and strength, not malicious intent) Why didn't they use treats? well, they attempted to call them off exhibit (which animals hate), the females in the group came in, but Harambe did not. What better treat for a captive animal than a real live kid!
They didn't use Tranquilizers for a few reasons, A. Harambe would've taken too long to become immobilized, and could have really injured the child in the process as the drugs used may not work quickly enough depending on the stress of the situation and the dose B. Harambe would've have drowned in the moat if immobilized in the water, and possibly fallen on the boy trapping him and drowning him as well.

Many zoos have the protocol to call on their expertly trained dart team in the event of an animal escape or in the event that a human is trapped with a dangerous animal. They will evaluate the scene as quickly and as safely as possible, and will make the most informed decision as how they will handle the animal.
I can't point fingers at anyone in this situation, but we need to really evaluate the safety of the animal enclosures from the visitor side. Not impeding that view is a tough one, but there should be no way that someone can find themselves inside of an animal's exhibit.

I know one thing for sure, those keepers lost a beautiful, and I mean gorgeous silverback and friend. I feel their loss with them this week. As educators and conservators of endangered species, all we can do is shine a light on the beauty and majesty of these animals in hopes to spark a love and a need to keep them from vanishing from our planet. Child killers, they are not. It's unfortunate for the conservation of the species, and the loss of revenue a beautiful zoo such as Cinci will lose. tragedy all around.
*me working (very carefully) with a 400+ pound silverback circa 2009
 
#10 · (Edited)
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

This just shows how the majority of humans are scumbags when it comes to even intelligent animals with some idea of compassion. Speciesism for centuries has been normalized that cruelty to animals isn't a big deal many.



Also most zoos are disgusting and are made for people who view animals as stereotypical women view jewelry. Things. Fuck most zoos, and yes I don't go to much zoos anymore because they're made by fuckwits.
 
#40 ·
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

This just shows how the majority of humans are scumbags when it comes to even intelligent animals with some idea of compassion. Speciesism for centuries has been normalized that cruelty to animals isn't a big deal many.



Also most zoos are disgusting and are made for people who view animals as stereotypical women view jewelry. Things. Fuck most zoos, and yes I don't go to much zoos anymore because they're made by fuckwits.
shows the majority are scumbags even though the vast majority in this thread of sided with the gorilla and feel sorry for it while blasting the gorilla? you're really great at poorly generalizing people.
 
#60 · (Edited)
I saw the video. The Gorilla was protecting and sheltering the child. At no point did he make a single threatening move towards the kid --- I've seen angry gorillas and he was not at all angry or threatening or anything like that at all.

In the wild alphas will sometimes protect young by dragging them along with them and that's all the gorilla was doing. The argument that the child could have drowned is also bullshit because even on his ass, the water was barely waist deep.

This was a case of an easy and quick solution ... It doesn't look to me like they even tried to do anything other than shoot the gorilla. At least not in the video that I saw on the net.

Uhh .. That's how they protect younglings by keeping them close to them. If he wanted the boy dead he had plenty of time to do it. In the wild young gorillas are "Dragged" as a form of "stay close to me child" and they keep up. I'm willing to bet any money if any genuine attempt had been made to try to take the baby away from the gorilla it would have relented.
 
#123 ·
http://reason.com/blog/2016/05/31/gorilla-boys-mom-shouldnt-be-burned-at-t

Reason writes a fair, level-headed analysis of the situation including an eye witness account which runs contrary to the hysteria-driven narratives popular on social media. Here is the eye witness account:

My family and I decided to go to the zoo yesterday after visiting my neice at Cincinnati Childrens hospital. For those of you that have already heard, there was a terrible accident there yesterday. And since every news media has covered this story, I don’t feel bad telling our side. This was an accident! ! A terrible accident, but just that! My husband’s voice is the voice talking to the child in one of the videos. I was taking a pic of the female gorilla, when my eldest son yells, “what is he doing? ” I looked down, and to my surprise, there was a small child that had apparently, literally “flopped” over the railing, where there was then about 3 feet of ground that the child quickly crawled through! ! I assumed the woman next to me was the mother, getting ready to grab him until she says, “Whose kid is this? ” None of us actually thought he’d go over the nearly 15 foot drop, but he was crawling so fast through the bushes before myself or husband could grab him, he went over! The crowed got a little frantic and the mother was calling for her son. Actually, just prior to him going over, but she couldn’t see him crawling through the bushes! She said “He was right here! I took a pic and his hand was in my back pocket and then gone!” As she could find him nowhere, she lookes to my husband (already over the railing talking to the child) and asks, “Sir, is he wearing green shorts? ” My husband reluctantly had to tell her yes, when she then nearly had a break down! They are both wanting to go over into the 15 foot drop, when I forbade my husband to do so, and attempted to calm the mother by calling 911 and assure her help was on the way. Neither my husband or the mother would have made that jump without breaking something! I wasn’t leaving with my boys, because I didn’t trust my husband not to jump in and the gorilla did just seem to be protective of the child. It wasn’t until the gorilla became agitated because of the nosey, dramatic, helpless crowd; that the gorilla violently ran with the child! And it was very violent; although I think the gorilla was still trying to protect, we’re taking a 400 lb gorilla throwing a 40 lb toddler around! It was horrific! The zoo responded very quickly, clearing the area and attempting to save both the child and the gorilla! The right choice was made. Thank God the child survived with non-life threatening, but serious injuries! This was an open exhibit! Which means the only thing separating you from the gorillas, is a 15 ish foot drop and a moat and some bushes! ! This mother was not negligent and the zoo did an awesome job handling the situation! Especially since that had never happened before! ! Thankful for the zoo and their attempts and my thoughts and prayers goes out to this boy, his mother and his family.
Unfortunate how it all went down but I don't think there's really anyone to blame in this situation. Obviously a human child's life is more valuable than a gorilla's.
 
#138 ·
Enough with the "bad parenting" shit. I'm not a parent, but I'm sure there's people here who are. Have you never made a mistake involving your child? This mistake just happened to turn into a fiasco.

We are so obsessed with the blame game. Sometimes, just chalk it up to a shitty situation, and move on. I understand if the parents are held legally responsible for any fallout, but that's different from the finger-wagging going on around this.
 
#18 ·
Re: Gorilla shot after trying to protect boy.

How dare they kill an innocent animal!! Humans are the worst!!

Now excuse me while I go back to eating innocent dead animals that were killed for my own gluttony every day of my life.

--Sincerely, commenters in this thread.
I'm vegan.

:pards
 
#30 ·


And yeah like Deadpool pointed out tranquilizing the gorilla was not an option. I think people are under the assumption that if you hit something with a tranquilizer it will immediately go down. It doesn't. It takes time for those things to work and the bigger the critter the longer it takes. I bet if you hit a gorrila with a tranquilizer it's going to be pretty goddamn pissed until it passes out. How would you feel if you got shot with a huge fucking dart out of no where and really have no clue as to why it happened. It's going to piss you off until it knocks you out and it doesn't knock you out quickly.
 
#33 ·
If someone busts her up side the head with a mom of the year award I couldn't promise you I wouldn't laugh.

And yeah like Deadpool pointed out tranquilizing the gorilla was not an option. I think people are under the assumption that if you hit something with a tranquilizer it will immediately go down. It doesn't. It takes time for those things to work and the bigger the critter the longer it takes. I bet if you hit a gorrila with a tranquilizer it's going to be pretty goddamn pissed until it passes out. How would you feel if you got shot with a huge fucking dart out of no where and really have no clue as to why it happened. It's going to piss you off until it knocks you out and it doesn't knock you out quickly.
Exactly! Tranquilizers seldom produce an efficacious effect upon large animals, much less fully healthy, growing gorillas in an agitated state as this animal certainly was.

Also a bit shocked at how many people are blaming the four-year-old kid for falling into the enclosure. :lol

The Cincinnati Zoo's "Gorilla World" first opened in 1978, I believe, and this would appear to be quite the freakish event.

Still feel bad for the 419-pound silverback, and I would like to learn more about the case, but some reactions have been questionable, including the all-too-predictable-in-our-age "#JusticeForHarambe" hash-tag social network cause of the week.
 
#32 · (Edited)
So are you guys saying they should of shot the kid instead? :lol. It does seem people value animals lifes over humans these days. I remember that uproar over that Lion. But thousands of ppl die in some 3rd world country, no one blinks an eye. From what I have heard they made the right call. They were forced into it really. The Gorilla could of killed the kid. And I am not going to sit here and say the Gorilla should of survived over a human being, get out. They had no choice. Sad The Gorilla died, but it is what it is.
 
#38 · (Edited)
Disgusting inane post. :punk4

Where did you get that anybody on this thread was saying they should have shot the kid instead? How can you reach such a ridiculous conclusion? People value animal lives mores? Yeah, that's why most humans aren't vegan and that's why the zoo killed the gorilla simply because they VALUED the human kid's life over the gorilla's and didn't wanna risk anything. Who doesn't blink an eye when people in the 3rd world die? You? The people around you? Certainly not I. Speak for yourself Kiwi. They were forced into it, and instead of doing the right thing by trying to have the gorilla put down without death and saving the child at the same time by tranquilizing the gorilla, they choose the lazy psychopathic option of killing the gorilla who was being caring to the kid mind you. Human lives aren't worth more than non human animal lives, both lives are important because they are sentient and more importantly innocent sentient creatures. Human narcissism over animals, is disgusting. Speciesism seems very apparent in you, and in a sense, you're just as bad as a racist.

Thanks for reinforcing my first post from this thread. :aj3
 
#62 · (Edited)
i didnt know we had so many gorilla behavior experts here

it's a simple liability issue, idiots yelling at you on twitter and facebook for their daily ego masturbation i'm such a good person session costs way less than settling out of court after the mother sues if the gorilla ended up hurting or killing her child
 
#118 ·
Yay, the internet has found something to outrage over again. Almost a perfect situation really, they killed the gorilla: Outrage.

And this fucking type of reaction is deadly. The next time an accident (or incompetence) like this happens (and it does happen a lot, because Kids (surprise surprise) are unpredictable), the authorities might think twice about prioritising the safety of the kid. And then when tragedy strikes, the internet can throw another fit of outrage about how they didn't react quick enough.

And fuck those people that brought up the criminal record of the parents. Who gives a shit what the father fucking did? Or if the parents are good parents? It was a LITTLE BOY being manhandled by a HUGE ASS GORILLA. He could have been killed simply by one of his fingers. But NO lets focus on an irrelevant criminal history. Because everyone knows that a criminal can't possibly really care about their child. And that if you are a child of a criminal, then you're already damaged goods. No better than a gorilla.
 
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