Zookeeper Explains What Harambe the Gorilla Was Actually Doing With the Kid

[RainbowFanGirl]

After Harambe, a gorilla that was shot dead when a boy fell into his enclosure, maybe people were outraged, saying that his death was unnecessary, and could have been prevented if proper precautions were taken.

However, a zookeeper challenges this argument, and offers a whole new approach to it with a Facebook post where she explains that the precautions taken by the zoo were necessary, and that the gorilla was doing what was natural.

Here is what she said in the post.

“An adult male silver back gorilla has one job, to protect his group.”

“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.”

The scene of Harambe with the kid is “pretty much the stuff of any keeper’s nightmares”

“I have watched this video over again, and with the silverback’s posturing, 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 the animals under my care and I remained separated before entering to clean.”

Harambe wasn’t trying to protect the kid-he used him to for displaying purposes and to intimidate the crowd.

“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.”

Tranquilizer darts were not an option...

“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.”

"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…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.”

Do you agree with the zookeeper? Why or why not?

Quite frankly, after reading what she has said, I have a little more closure to what has happened. It was tragic that Harambe had to die at the hands of careless parents, but it was necessary to save the kid. Also, I feel as if the parents should face charges, but it had recently been stressed that the foolish mother of the boy will not face charges for not keeping an eye on her children. I find that wrong. It was the mother's carelessness that had caused this in the first place. RIP Harambe.

Thank you for reading, and you can check out the original article here, which also contains a link to the Facebook post. <3

#SeeMyWork

[Fathoms77]

Just a quick note to Editors and other members concerning headlines, especially those interested in participating in our latest contest.

This Take is a good example of a solid title for outside consumption because of the keywords in it. A good way to tell how Google views your headline is if you take a few words from your article and simply do a Google search, and see what comes up. In this case, when I type in the words "zookeeper gorilla Harambe," I see headlines very much like this one on the first page. So, good. :)

Just a friendly tip.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Hmm, in that case I may enter this take in the contest as well.

[Fathoms77]

Yeah, and that's another thing:

You guys and girls can toss in as many entries as you wish. :)

[RainbowFanGirl]

😛 Do entries get featured?

[lumos]

Still think the mom should face charges for her carelessness and for essentially getting the gorilla killed. It was nice to hear what the zookeeper had to say, like you said, it brought some closure in me.
Still feels unfair though. You have to be a special kind of stupid to not keep an eye on your kids near wild animals, even if said animals are in cages and enclosures.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Exactly. It boils my blood that she will not be facing charges. She deserves it. Now an innocent animal is dead because of her foolishness.

[Mustachekitteh]

Proves how it was truly the crowds fault at how he acted while the kid was down there. They should have just shut up and kept quiet.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

I don't give a shit 1 way or the other about this, but it's a fucking gorilla. But some of y'all need to get over it and grow the fuck up. I'm sick and tired of people having this complex that the human is always in the wrong. That being the mother. Was she? Maybe. I mean I never followed this super closely cause it's a fucking joke how people can give 2 shits about a gorilla and advocating for the child to die because of the parent's fault? that's medieval times shit. Punishing and judging people for their ancestor's transgressions. But if no one wants to bring it up, I will

Why isn't anyone blaming the zoo or inspection codes? Zoos have virtually the same codes around the country. More people go to zoos than amusement parks. Yet this is 1 in a billion thing. So that postulates 2 things to me

1- the codes aren't good enough
2- the kid had to climb through the barrier

I'm inclined to believe that the lord went on and climbed through the barrier as opposed to falling through. Why? Given that more people go to zoos or year than amusement parks and this is a rarity, hard to believe that this is the tiniest thing to ever go this zoo or any zoo. Hence my conclusion that the kid climbed through. I'm not absolving the parent for negligence, although I'd like to know the circumstances. Maybe she went to the bathroom. Maybe she went to get cotton candy or some shit. I don't know. Someone correct me on the details. Anyways, if he climbed through, some bystanders had to see this kid. Why didn't anyone stop him? If you see a 5 year old holding a buoy knife, you're gonna ignore it and blame the parents? Bull fucking shit. Sorry I hold people to higher standards in being proactive than reactive. If like to think we have some sort of common sense and morality. But then I've been on this site and the internet in general

Let's suppose the kid slipped through (again, correct me). If the kid slipped through relatively easily, when the fuck will anyone blame the zoo or the inspectors or the codes in general? Why even male or a chance for a cold to slop through? Some might say that it's extremely rare (and it is), but this isn't the smallest kid to ever set for in a zoo. If a 4 year old child can fall through, god knows who else can. They couldn't account for a toddler slipping through the cracks? Child please! But considering all of that, it leads me to believe the former happened

to be continued

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

With all that said, I still have an issue with so many more things about this from many angles. Again, it's a fucking gorilla. Yes, it's rare, but a fucking animal that's not us. And of you wanna call me insensitive, there's a guy that works in Miami and knew the gorilla's parents and grandparents and was there for it's north before being shipped to Cincy and basically said that this outrage over the gorilla's death is ridiculous. And he brought up some of my points (not all) and all of your points as well.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Then don't comment.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

Out of a post and a half of content, you only managed to picked out the 1st sentence? 😑

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OfwhGQONbg&app=desktop

[tyber1]

Silverback gorillas are critically endangered, which means that every single one of them is necessary to avoid extinction. So it is not 'just' a gorilla, it is possibly the future of all the Silverback gorillas and that is worth a hell of a lot more than some kid.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

@tyber1 it's endangered, yes, but it's 1 of 200,000. 199,999 isn't gonna jeopardize the future of the species, especially if it's at the expense of saving someone. People like to point that out but seem totally negate the circumstance. And if a zookeeper that actually knew the gorilla and actually cares about animals can say the same thing, none of y'all faux animal activists who didn't know or give a shit about the gorillas 1 month ago need to shut up

[tyber1]

There isn't just the risk of extinction, as there are fewer and fewer the genetic health of the population will decline due to low grade inbreeding. They were going to use this gorilla for breeding purposes, so he likely would have had many children.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

@tyber1 I know how the process works. And I'm sure the death of 1 of them isn't gonna destroy the future of silver back gorilla-kind" like everyone seems to think

I just point and laugh how people always claim how humans are so fucked up (which is kinda true). Then say how great animals are and how innocent they are (people need to read articles of what some animals do). And then say the people were stupid killing 1 gorilla just for a single child... and still wonder why humans are shit to each other. That's the definition of hypocrisy. Bitch about humans being destructive and cruel yet wanna allow a 4 year old to die. Sit down children! And y'all too busy "saving the animals" (which most don't give a shit to do anything beyond bitching on the internet) 😑

[tyber1]

You're acting like we're saying that this child needed to die, when really what we are saying is that the risk of the child's death is a more favorable outcome than the guaranteed death of the Gorilla. If anything you're the one with the destructive tendencies, given that you are saying that we should kill one intelligent animal to help another one who may or may not be killed. If the zoo had gotten rid of the crowds the risk of harm to the child would have been much smaller. I don't see the justification of killing one animal to avoid something bad maybe happening to another.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

@tyber1 I have heard exactly those comments on multiple occasions. Not only on here, but on other sites. If I ever get the motivation to, I'll link them for you. Bruh, the kid was gonna die. I'm all likelihood. Did you see how it was dragging the kid around? Tranquilizing it would have aggravated it more. Mass crowds also aggravated it more. And killing an intelligent creature? Both are intelligent creatures. Let's supposed the kid did get killed, then the onus would be on the zoo for not saving the kid. It's a catch 22. The zoo has a protocol and it called for killing the gorilla. Your last sentence just proved my last post. The hypocrisy is ridiculous and laughable at best

Here is go ma nigga, hold this 😂😂😂
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTtF0AvWcAIuQMb.png

[Kinstrome]

@tyber1 You can never compare any other animal to humans. No society can ever exist without some fundamental and inarguable difference between humans and all other earthly life forms. Humans do not merely have more developed high-reasoning faculties than other primates; we possess extremely finely developed languages that allow us to understand meaning--and therefore experience the world in a vivid way that is totally unknown to other animals.

But whether or not we are more advanced than animals, the point is, *we* are humans. A species that does not value its own infinitely more than others is on a very, very bad road. We can already see a frightening future with people like Peter Singer, who has compared humans and animals in ways that they should never be compared. Putting a human on the level of a gorilla, or even weighing one's value relative to the other at all, is not only morally questionable but also quite dangerous.

[tyber1]

@Kinstrome in times of crisis humans must band together and work for a future that is better for humans, other animals be damned. But that is not what is happening. Humans aren't facing a population crisis, we are highly overpopulated relative to the technology which sustains us. Gorillas on the other hand are dying out and as the one species that has the power to entirely dictate their fate, with a highly advanced and scientifically knowledgeable society, it is our responsibility to try where is possible to prevent ourselves from destroying them.

With regards to your idea that humans are superior, that is very relative. We developed civilization due to a number of physical developments that allowed for the use of tools and development of technology. Vocal chords had an impact but so too did our upright stature, opposable thumbs and large brains. But all those advantages didn't mean much before the early civilizations.

[tyber1]

@Kinstrome but if you're going to set the bar at 'if they haven't developed civilization they aren't worth saving' then even humans wouldn't have passed that standard 100,000 years ago, and it would be hard to argue that had we not come along, none of the apes would have developed civilization eventually. Chimps and Bonobos are known to use tools and are capable of learning to understand language. It cannot be argued that none of these species would have evolved to fill our ancient ecological niche had our hominid ancestors died out. Human exceptionalism logically must apply to at least some apes as well on some level, the only argument is to what extent.

[Kinstrome]

@tyber1 I disagree that we are, or will ever be, at a time completely free from the possibility that human life will suddenly be devalued relative to animals. I point to the oft-cited Holocaust as an example in which human life is ranked. The fact that that occurred less than a century ago tells me that, whether or not it involved animals, humans are not beyond ranking themselves. That is just too risky.

There is no inherent value in a species surviving except from the perspective of the *people* who want them to survive. Gorillas dying out is tragic... for humans. For gorillas, there is no cultural loss or sad awareness that they are dying out. They just die, just like they would if there were no endangerment. Also, I'd strongly suggest reading up on the data behind worldwide overpopulation, as it is much overblown. Humans' ability to live in more confined spaces evolves as technology evolves. The planet could only support a hundred fifty million hunter-gatherers back in (...)

[Kinstrome]

the day when hunter-gatherers were all that populated the planet.

Your points about human advancement relative to animals are not invalid. I recognize that primates must be given some rights... some. In this incident, I don't think the gorilla's life trumped the likelihood the zookeeper saw that the gorilla would have harmed or traumatized the child. Certainly, I am horrified by the parents' negligence, and they are deserving of the flak they get for not controlling the child. But that is secondary to the fact that human life is humans' number one priority. We are never more than one generation away from forgetting the sanctity of human life.

[hellionthesage]

I don't think it was a careless parent, kids run off that happens, the vast majority of the time the parent gets to the kid before they get hurt, a small percentage of the time after the kid gets hurt and a on rare occasion only after something sever happens. It was an unfortunate occurence and I don't think any one is really to blame maybe the enclosure wasn't secure enough and that is on some one but accidents do happen out of all the children that have gone their running about after all the times the enclosure was secured this is the one time it wasn't, so again I don't think its any ones fault it was just an unfortunate occurence. The gorilla did nothing wrong, as the keeper said they do not generally get violent (its not to their benefit since they do not usually eat meat and fights can result in them dying so they stay away from uneccesary risks) and it seems reasonable that he was responding to the crowds fear, assuming that their must be a reason why thus performing his display in order to protect his family.(same thing happened with sigfried and roy, the tiger merely responded to what it percieved as a threat to roy, unfortunatly being stronger and humans not being built the same way its attempt to remove him from percieved harm nearly killed him, no one was to blame just an unfortunate accident.)

[RainbowFanGirl]

I guess you have a point there.

[hellionthesage]

I have a lot of nieces and nephews to the point where even when its a kid that isn't one of them I immediatley keep an eye out but even then its hard to keep up, you look away for a second and they did something. I personally caused that, my parents looked away for a second and looked back I was already running after a balloon ended up slipping and landing facefirst into a glass table (cut above my eye no big deal). So when you have kids or deal with them enough you can empathize with what they whent through, especially dealing with crowds which hamper your movement and their being so much going on the kid gets over excited. So yeah, I understand why people without kids wouldn't realize just how easily this kind of thing can happen.

[Poppykate]

I think that there is blame to go round. As a parent, you need to be aware of situations that you place your children in. The mother went to the Zoo with the boy, and 3 other siblings ( all under the age of 7 years old). It's common sense that any outing is going to require more than one adult to help watch the children. So wait until another adult can help supervise the children. ( e. g. dad, grandparent, but not friend as any normal person will be too busy chatting, rather then supervising. Also any parent will know that children this age will climb. A one metre fence is just too low. The zoo also need to check the height of the fence and make it unclimbable.

[RainbowFanGirl]

At least out of this the zoo made the zoo more safe.

[ShaeNielson]

Sure it was really sad the Gorilla had to die, it was unnecessary and the consequences of human error, but in the situation killing it was the right thing to do. No matter how much people whine and scream, a little boy is more valuable than an animal and therefore his life must be prioritized. The boy didn't do it on purpose, he didn't climb in there to have the animal shot, it was an accident.
You really have to be a blatant moron to think tranquilizing Harambre had been the best option, as the keeper said it would have taken too long for the gorilla to fall asleep, and he could have dismembered the boy before that. Not to mention that it could have agitated the animal, worsening the whole situation.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yes. After reading this post it made more sense to me and justified his death a bit more, even though it was a matter of human error.

[ShaeNielson]

It was, the gorilla really is the victim in all of this, but they did what had to be done.

[Victorianne]

I love Gorillas. They are my favourite animal. I hate any form of animal cruelty , but I think the right decision was made when it was shot dead.

It's an animal , so it's unpredictable. I value a childs life over an animals. My natural instinct would be to protect a baby who was screaming and terrified at being dragged around by a huge " monster"

If the Gorilla had of killed the baby , people would have been asking why it wasn't shot. It's very sad and unfortunate , but it would have been more devastating if the child had of lost his life.

The parents are responsible for allowing it to happen though

[bang678]

I understand that there was no choice but to kill the animal. However I can't help but get this feeling that parent neglect has been a large contributing factor. Just this morning I heard about that kid in Florida who was eaten by an alligator. It was 2 year old. What 2 year old is out past 9 pm? Why was the 2 year old even in the water without a parent (despite the no swimming signs). The parents were far enough away that when the child was snatched they had to "sprint to the water ".

As for the gorilla situation I understand the mom has several kids with her but it's no excuse. And you can't tell me that strangers didn't notice what the kid was up to until it was too late. Too many people easily turn a blind eye to a child getting up to no good because "it's to not my kid, not my place."
And to anyone saying gorillas are always violent like what do you expect a frightened animal to do? People were screaming all around him.

[Bandit74]

Im confused, why is the mother at fault?

If anything shouldn't the zoo be liable for having enclosures that are constructed in a way that an infant can easily fall in?

Also I know I will get shit for bringing race into this but the child was black. I can't even imagine the shit storm that would have happened if the zookeepers didn't take action and allowed the child to get injured or die.

People would be saying stuff like "if the child was whote the zookeepers would have done something" or " even gorilla lives are valued more than black live in our society". It would have been a lot worse for the zoo if they didn't save the child.

[Pat8707]

Holy shit I didn't even think of that. This really was a lose/lose case.

[Bandit74]

@Pat8707
Initially people thiught the child was white and this is how they reacted...
www.breitbart.com/.../

[Pat8707]

I love breitbart.

[Righttobeararms83]

If there was the slightest risk to the child then the gorilla hsd to be shot. People even those that work with animals like primates often see them as human or almost human and forget that they are actually wild animals that can't and shouldn't be tamed and will always obey their nature. Adult silver backs are known for infanticide on young gorillas so whether he would have killed the child is irrelevant as no one can ever know, what is important is that the gorilla was a clear and present danger to the child.
It should not have been possible for the child to get into the inclosure the zoo messed up.
I dont feel that the parents should suffer because with kids I've found is that you can watch them all the time but turn your head or get distracted and they can get into all kinds of mischievous. Im glad that these parents aren't having to bury a child and that's whats important.

[Anonymous]

its so stupid... we keep them locked up in a place they never asked to go to in the first place and when they act like animals and act like nature intended them to act and things are uncomfortable for US we shoot them...

[RainbowFanGirl]

You have a point there. They never asked to be taken away from their habitats like this... but we use them for entertainment purposes which is sad.

[Opinion Owner]

exactly !

and its not just gorrilas or zoo animals... even house pets
we clip cat's nails and some people remove them altogether just because its not comfortable for us
and we cut off parts from their reproductive systems because we wanna have more than just one and it wuldnt be comfortable for us if they mated
I've had many cats and dogs and never did either

*sigh* it IS really sad :( <3

[LittleFinch]

Well, while I agree with the reproductive system thing to an extent, though honestly it can be seen as more humane, especially in more urban areas. Would you rather have stray dogs and cats running around, hungry and thirsty and unloved? At least by altering their reproductive methods we can keep things under control and limit the cruelty they face, even though it's not the best option (to be honest, the same thing could be said to be done to humans, but somehow that's not humane? I don't understand that part). Regarding the nail treatment, I clip my animals' nails because it's uncomfortable for them. My dog became afraid of the stairs because her nails became so long she slid on my floors, and my cat's got caught on everything he touched. They still have them, they're just trimmeda bit. I agree with your overall point, though. Just wanted to point some stuff out :)

[Anonymous]

Its a really sad tragic story that was nobodies fault. The zoo did everything they possibly could prior to deciding to put Harambe down. Those saying that it's the mother's fault for not watching her child? No, I may not be a parent but I know that you cannot have your eyes on them 24/7 little kids are quick af. The enclosure has a significant drop, which anyone in their right mind would not dare to attempt, so I say it is sufficient enough. It was a freak accident and and must have happened incredibly fast for nobody to be able to stop the child from falling in.

[Accipiter]

I can see the argument why the tranq darts wouldn't have worked to immobilize the gorilla in time. In my home town, there was a black bear that wondered up river and into the main town square a couple years ago. The authorities fired tranq darts at the bear, only to have it run back to the river where it drowned. It was really sad.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Aw, really? :(

[JuicyBrain]

Like a zoo would kill their very own money maker just for fun...

If you think the mother should be sued, you obviously don't have kids. These little shit will do stupid stuff like however well raised they are. It's actually their full time job to be stupid and learn from their mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are worse than usual. Let me ask another question. How is it that a kid was able to fall in a gorilla habitat especially when you know that kids are the main reason people go to zoos. What adult goes to the zoo on their own?

[RainbowFanGirl]

😛😛 Okay then.

[Hidden_P]

Although horrible and my own instincts battling, what was done was right. The end of the day, he's a wild animal, there is no prediction.
It's horrible though. The parents should have kept an eye, I've seen so many parents saying mistakes happen and I get that, but me and my brothers were disaplined to the point we were silent while at the supermarket, meals out, etc. We wouldn't ever have acted up like that.

I find it funny. My friends vet say that all cats are wild animals and can't be trusted. They can turn at any time (her cat recently bite so hard he hit bone). And yet I look at my "wild animal" that I can blow raspberries on, rest my head on and sleep, hold upside down...

Yes wild animals have a brain. But they also HAVE A BRAIN. My personal feeling is that that gorilla wouldn't have hurt him but the keepers had no choice.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yes. The parents were ultimately to blame here. Not the kid. Not the gorilla.

[LaVilaine]

People need to learn to control their asshole children. If you can't control your child, don't take them out.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Agreed.

[LaVilaine]

I used to work at an amusement park and parents would get mad at me when their child was in danger because they're asshole child couldn't follow orders. "He has ODD! It's not his fault!" No, you're just a bad parent. If your kid can't listen to the rules and follow them for their own safety, don't take them places they can get hurt. I don't get paid enough to operate this ride as well as babysit your little monster.

[LittleFinch]

I looked up ODD in order to find out more about it, and I could not help but laughing out loud. Seriously? That isn't a disorder, it's called being a brat! Parents these days let their kids run around like they own the place, let them do whatever they want without consequences, and then blame everyone else when something happens to their kid.

[LaVilaine]

@LittleFinch tell me about it.

[ShaeNielson]

How was the child an asshole? He is 4 years old, he is not capable of thinking using reasoning and logic on the level of a grown person. It's not the boy's fault, he should not even have been able to climb into the enclosure anyways.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson he should stay where he's bid, instead of running off at the first opportunity and nearly getting killed.

[ShaeNielson]

You obviously don't know children.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson you obviously don't know anything about effective parenting.

[ShaeNielson]

I know kids aren't robots.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson that doesn't mean that they can't be taught how to behave.

[ShaeNielson]

A small child that gets a little exited at the zoo and doesn't stay with his mom is not a bad kid.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson they are when they nearly get themselves killed.

[LaVilaine]

And when they're actions get someone else hurt or killed because they can't behave. Parents today excuse all kinds of bad behaviour. "Oh Johnny can't sit still because he has ADHD so I just let him destroy the house to let the energy out." The words you're looking for are that your child is awful because you can't discipline them properly.

[ShaeNielson]

You're completely off topic now.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson no, I'm completely on topic. Learn to control your asshole children, or keep them at home.

[ShaeNielson]

Or put them on a leash and beat the shit out of them when they don't behave like soldiers, gotcha.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson had that child been kept at home, none of this would have happened.

[ShaeNielson]

Oh even better, lets lock children away at home and be surprised when the next generations will turn out as antisocial psychopaths with no idea of how to behave and deal with other people.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson if his parents weren't such total and ineffective dipshits, maybe they would have been able to take him out. If you cannot control your child's behaviour well enough that they can't almost get themselves killed and be responsible for the death of another being, keep them at home. Parents these days are completely useless and do not believe in discipline or teaching children anything about proper behaviour. When members of the public are expected to keep your child safe instead of you, you are a terrible parent.

[ShaeNielson]

At least my parenting skills won't render my child a psychotic mess. I won't be surprised if your's eventually wound up with a gun at school.

If a child is not constantly scared and afraid to leave your side fearing the consequences of doing so, doesn't mean you've fucked up as a parent. Pretty much all children run of from time to time, the difference is that this time (one out of millions) it had a tragic outcome.

[LaVilaine]

@ShaeNielson yeah, yours will just end up beaten to death by wild animals at the zoo.

[ShaeNielson]

Yea that sounds fun, Imma go get pregnant right now I think.

[shinyunicorn]

it's funny how people would rather listening to sources like peta, and not an actual zoo keeper, someone who works with animals nearly 24/7 and understands their behaviour more than anyone else.

the crowd also pissed me off, what did they expect would happen if they all gather around and scream? harambe will release his grip from the child? stupid fucking people.

also stop blaming the little kid for this, he's just a kid, they're not smart, they do stupid shit. and kids have a very big attachment to animals, most kids will probably cry if you tell them their hamburger is a dead cow. now imagine what this kid is going through knowing a gorilla was killed in order to save him.

[BigJake]

I believe the zookeeper, but I still think the whole episode was bullshit. The mother should be prosecuted for neglect, period. The zoo should sue her ass for whatever she has, given the cost of a male gorilla. I'm sure they spent millions on these animals over the past 17 years.

The other issue I have is with the zoo. Why was there no contingency plan in place for this sort of occurrence? Responsible people anticipate issues and plan accordingly. It's conceivable (and perhaps probable) that a person will at some point fall into an animal habitat.

[somebodysaycheese]

Yea, it was only obvious. Thank you for putting this debate to rest. I still can't believe people think a gorillas life is more than a childs... smh Good mytake

[RainbowFanGirl]

Thanks so much. :)

[OlderAndWiser]

Thanks for posting this information. As usual, the press does not report ALL of the facts.

[RainbowFanGirl]

You're very welcome.

[Anonymous]

I think they should capture the mother of the child and put her in a cage at the zoo and put her on display instead of the dead gorilla... Stupid parents can't even control their children! What are they even good for? !!!

[RainbowFanGirl]

I agree :(