On Saturday, a child wandered from his parents and fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. One of the zoo’s silverback gorillas, an endangered species, moved toward the child, eventually grabbing his foot and dragging him across the enclosure. Zoo officials, saying they had no other choice, made the decision to shoot the gorilla, named Harambe, rather than risk the child’s life.
Controversy over the animal’s death, and the actions of the child’s parents, have sparked discussions on social media and news sites around the world.
Here is what some people are saying about Harambe’s death and the boy's parents.
Is it right to “parent shame” in this instance?
"The death of Harambe, a western lowland gorilla killed Saturday after a child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, is a tragedy. The world prematurely lost a magnificent creature, a member of a species that’s among our nearest relatives in the animal kingdom. Anyone who has spent time at the zoo’s gorilla exhibit understands that they are imbued with intelligence and emotions not unlike our own, and it’s painful to think that human error caused Harambe’s death. Quickly, the effort to pin the blame on someone – anyone – lit up social media. … A disturbing thread even emerged questioning the race of the family and whether that would impact public perception of the incident. But mostly we have blamed the child’s parents."
Change.org petition calls for parents to be held responsible
"Animal rights activists continued to protest Monday over the death of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo who was fatally shot so authorities could rescue a child who had fallen into the animal's enclosure. A change.org petition called for the parents of the 3-year-old boy to be held responsible for the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old male Western lowland silverback gorilla."
Zoo officials defend shooting, killing gorilla
"Those are some of the words the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden used Sunday in a contrite explanation for the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla killed on Saturday to save a boy who slipped into the zoo's habitat. The boy was in "imminent danger," leaving the zoo's Dangerous Animal Response Team with no option but to shoot the 450-pound gorilla, zoo director Thane Maynard said in a statement on Facebook. Tranquilizers may not have taken effect in time to save the boy while the dart might have agitated the animal, worsening the situation, Maynard said."We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child's life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made," he said."
Social media is quick to attack parents for gorilla death
"Days after her 4-year-old son plummeted 20 feet into the Cincinnati Zoo gorilla exhibit, after animal rights activists blamed her alleged poor parenting for the death of a beloved, endangered ape named Harambe, then called on child protective services to investigate her, the boy's mother became the Internet's most reviled mom."
Mom of son who fell in gorilla enclosure in 1980s said gorilla should have been spared
"The mother of Levan Merritt, who was saved from a gorilla’s enclosure as a child in the 1980s, has joined the backlash against Cincinnati Zoo after a similar incident. The US establishment has drawn criticism after the fatal shooting of Harambe the gorilla, which occurred when he took hold of a four-year-old child who had entered his area. Speaking on This Morning, Levan agreed that staff were right to kill the animal, but his mother - who joined the discussion over the phone - strongly disagreed. "I don't think he should have been killed. I really don’t,” she said. “I think the keeper should have got in and tried to get the gorilla out, …”
Jack Hanna backs decision to kill gorilla at zoo
"Jack Hanna says the Cincinnati Zoo made the right call by killing a gorilla that grabbed a 4-year-old boy who had entered its enclosure. The host of "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild" tells WBNS-TV that he saw video of the gorilla jerking the boy through a shallow moat in the exhibit Saturday. Hanna says he knew what would happen if the gorilla wasn't killed. He says, "I'll bet my life on this, that child would not be here today."
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