Why cruel and thoughtless
why did they have to kill that gorilla Surely a very strong sedative would have helped such a sad act
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They said it would take too long to act, Ruby, and time was of the essence for obvious reasons.
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What 'appened to the cane wi' horse's head handle?
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Cruel possibly, but certainly not thoughtless; I imagine a lot of thought went into the decision, both before the event in planning for just this sort of incident and at the time of the incident itself. The report this morning said that although there was
no definite indication that the gorilla would necessarily harm the little boy, it was dragging him through the water and there was a possibility of him drowning.It was a tragic incident; I guess the question now is how to tighten up security so there's less chance of a repeat, but you can never decrease the risk to zero.
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Sadly, it was probably the right decision to shoot, the zoo will have carried out risk assessments for such incidents. Poor animal. What kind of thoughtless parent allows a four year old to climb barriers? I note that they could face prosecution, no bad
thing if it prevents other fools not supervising children properly. Glad to hear the child is ok.0 -
why cruel and thoughtless
Because it's America. They love their guns over there.
K
The British Police love their guns to, trigger happy IMO, shoot and ask questions later. I believe that the independant investigating authority is always on their side so they are not bothered because they know the outcome will always be in their favour
that's my perception anyway.0 -
Very sad, the poor animal probably didn't intend to harm the little lad but they could not take the chance. They acted very quickly so must have been prepared for a situation. I expect the keepers are very sad after looking after the creature they must become
close to it. The stupid parents, they should have been looking after the child and keeping a closer watch. I hope they do prosecute them.0 -
The gorilla was behaving like a gorilla. It didn't seem to me that he intended to harm the stupid child.
The 'decision' to kill would have been made in advance and not based on the actual circumstances.
It was a wrong decision.
I hope that stupid child and his stupid parents live with nightmares for along time, for what they caused.
Idiots!
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New news reports video and large amount of on the scene witnesses are now saying he was protecting the boy and did't drag him through the water but dragged him out of it. and was very much in the protective mode, a number of witnesses are saying the parents
watched as the boy went through the railings
It's maddening and upsetting but it does now appear that the parents are being
charged with neglect0 -
"It's maddening and upsetting but it does now appear that the parents are being charged with neglect"
And so they should!!!
.....I did say to mrs bt at the time, whatever were the parents doing
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copied from facebook...
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.
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Thanks for posting the above firedragon very informative straight from the horses mouth so to speak, still a very unessasery outcome coursed only by very neglecting parents who I hope have the book thrown at them
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Harambe did nothing wrong. Even by human standards, he did no wrong. By his own standards and his natural behaviour (for which he had been put on display) he certainly did no wrong.
He should not have been killed simply because there was a risk that he might behave in the way that comes natural to him.
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The news report I read was that after witness statements they were both going to be charged with wilfull neglect apparently very serious crime in the states,
6 o'clock news tonight they interviewed the zoo keeper who hand reared him he made a very touching emotional statement but didn't say or touch on the subject that to shoot and kill was wrong or right
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I think Amanda O'D makes a very valid point ...
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.All those of us who have ever had to try and control small children (especially more than one) on a trip out appreciate that there will be a time when one child will not do as it is told and it only takes a moment for them to trip or fall over anything.
I would certainly expect any venue that combines families with wild animals to have safety features that would make it absolutely impossible for anyone, let alone a small child to gain access to any enclosure. In this country there are regulations to adhere
to when building places like that. Toughened glass, double barriers all aimed to protect both the public and the animals.Alison
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I too am deeply saddened by the loss of this wonderful endangered animal. But I think the posts from Alison are very valid.
If I visit zoos or other similar institutions I would expect that both the animals and the humans are as protected as possible. Accidents happen, children are curious and it only takes a split second of inattention, or safety not being to the best standard
for this tragic situation to evolve.Would you be saying the same if it was your child or grandchild? Or would you be asking questions about the safety standards?
My heart goes out to all those involved, even if the child wasn't 'properly' supervised I should think the parents have had a rude awakening.
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Would you be saying the same if it was your child or grandchild? Or would you be asking questions about the safety standards?
I can safely say Bakers, that I would never allow my grandchildren to be in the same position as that unfortunate child.....
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