[Sixstrings]

I will say though, what's unfortunate is that apparently that gorilla is critically endangered. It was born in at a Texas zoo and then cincinnati zoo had hoped to use it to breed more.

But they made the right decision. Really, their dangerous animal response team should be commended -- they acted quickly, they tried something nonviolent first, then they acted when that one attempt did not work, they saved the three year old child.

They should be commended for saving a life, but instead are getting a lot of grief.

Something to consider: if YOUR child made his way into a gorilla pit -- would you want authorities to prioritize saving your child, or would you be okay about them causing more risk to your child, in favor of protecting the animal?

[diemos]

Righteous indignation is a drug. It gets you high.

It is one of the most abused drugs in our society.

[Timo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'T')hey should be commended for saving a life, but instead are getting a lot of grief.

[Cog]

How brilliant do you expect a 3 year old to be? You have a point about his parents though.

Maybe they should blame Disney films. The ones that show wild animals as virtuous, honorable, and more intelligent than humans. The kid should have been taught that a wild animal will kill you in an instant and perhaps he wouldn't have been so inclined to get into a cage with one.

[Sixstrings]

A gorilla zookeeper shares her opinion:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')img]https://scontent.ftpa1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13332816_1203379103029809_8596977184566407029_n.jpg?oh=d3e19c8420c742a837d3a5baec3761ee&oe=57C40F16[/img]

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 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.

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.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/01/us/harambe-video-gorilla-zookeeper/

[KaiserJeep]

The way I see it, the gorilla was a victim of human arrogance and a lack of common sense. The injured party is the zoo, not the boy or his family - indeed they are responsible for the loss of a valuable $40,000 zoo animal, which would have been used to breed more of his endangered species.

I believe the zoo should sue the kid's parents for the real loss, plus legal fees, plus an appropriate amount of punitive damages to be used to breed more gorillas of this species.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cog', 'M')aybe they should blame Disney films.

[Sixstrings]

Foxnews agrees with me:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]Cincinnati zoo tragedy: Why do some care more about a gorilla than a child?

The reaction was more disturbing than the incident.

Instead of praising the heroic act of the security team that saved the boy in what was described as a life-threatening situation, the child’s parents were lambasted, the zoo officials demonized, and western lowland gorilla mourned. Zoo visitors even left flowers for Harambe the gorilla and thousands on social media called it 'murder', with a 'Justice for Harambe' Facebook group quickly garnering over 90,000 likes.

Instead of criticizing the zoo for constructing a barrier that wasn't child proof, the mother was accused of neglectful parenting and could face criminal charges. ...

It is disheartening that an endangered gorilla species was killed. But a child almost died. In that context concern for the gorilla needs to take a backseat. ...

There was nothing needless about the shooting. It was absolutely necessary. ...

These types of incidences have ended in tragedy. In 2012, a 2-year-old boy was horrifically mauled to death by a pack of wild African dogs at a Pittsburgh zoo. Gorillas are not docile creatures. ...

In a ridiculous attempt at attributing human qualities to animals The Gorilla Organization suggested that the zoo should have negotiated with the Gorilla offering it “food,” “treats,” “pineapple” or “some kind of fruit.” ...

Showing compassion and empathy toward animals is certainly noble especially when it comes to a majestic and endangered gorilla.

But the mentality that ascribes Disney-like human qualities to animals by prioritizing a gorilla over the saving of a child has consequences. Gorillas are wild animals. Children are humans. Humans can wreak terrible devastation but they are also responsible for the greatest advancements in medicine and technology well beyond what the animal kingdom can accomplish.

It is this delusional anthropomorphizing of animals that leads people to help dog charities over dying children, and according to reports give twice as many donations to animals than the homeless.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/05/31/cincinnati-zoo-tragedy-why-do-some-care-more-about-gorilla-than-child.html

[KaiserJeep]

I did not directly address the issue in my prior message, but IMHO gorillas are animals not people. I have noted lots of asymmetrical news coverage here in the SF Bay area. Shoot two cops and seven bystanders during a bank robbery, and you are a brief news story. Snatch a lap dog from the (distracted by the dog) elderly woman who just rear-ended your car, and toss it into traffic, and there is an unending manhunt across five counties, and continuous coverage of your trial, followed by a civil lawsuit that is moved to another location where people are not in a lynching mood.

I am generally kind to animals of all sorts, save for one incident with the neighbor's cat. But I have no patience with people who anthropomorphize animals, even primates who share most of our DNA. But my opinions are obviously minority opinions on this matter, the bubbleheads rule.

[vtsnowedin]

I think the zoo did the best thing given the facts.
Now consider the parents. One report says the mother was arguing with the boy about how close to get to the barrier. Apparently the disobedient boy won the argument and then lost the war by falling in. Bad parenting you might say. But if the parent had spanked the boy soundly in public to make him behave and stay safe someone would have felt compelled to report her to the police or child protection services.
So in effect government interference in child discipline is what killed the gorilla.

[ennui2]

The reason some people care more about the gorilla is that there are 7+ billion humans and Gorillas are almost gone. Rarity means people value things more.

I would not be surprised if the last living example of several species winds up biting the dust in an accident at a zoo like this. Law of probability.

[KaiserJeep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ennui2', 'T')he reason some people care more about the gorilla is that there are 7+ billion humans and Gorillas are almost gone. Rarity means people value things more.

I would not be surprised if the last living example of several species winds up biting the dust in an accident at a zoo like this. Law of probability.

[Timo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'I') think the zoo did the best thing given the facts.
Now consider the parents. One report says the mother was arguing with the boy about how close to get to the barrier. Apparently the disobedient boy won the argument and then lost the war by falling in. Bad parenting you might say. But if the parent had spanked the boy soundly in public to make him behave and stay safe someone would have felt compelled to report her to the police or child protection services.
So in effect government interference in child discipline is what killed the gorilla.

[vtsnowedin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Timo', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('vtsnowedin', 'I') think the zoo did the best thing given the facts.
Now consider the parents. One report says the mother was arguing with the boy about how close to get to the barrier. Apparently the disobedient boy won the argument and then lost the war by falling in. Bad parenting you might say. But if the parent had spanked the boy soundly in public to make him behave and stay safe someone would have felt compelled to report her to the police or child protection services.
So in effect government interference in child discipline is what killed the gorilla.

[Sixstrings]

Some more information has come out, pics of the gorilla habitat barrier at the cincinatti zoo:




The zoo has had the exhibit since 1978 and never an incident before in all those 38 years.

So, looking at that small railing.. obviously what happened is the three year old climbed over it and then went in that bush and then right after that bush it's a sheer drop down fifteen feet.

It's a design problem and safety hazard.

The railing is too low to start with, but it wouldn't be as bad if not for that wood garden enclosure thing at the base -- if you look at it, that's a STEP for a kid to step up on and be leaning on that already low to the ground rail (if the ground by the barrier were flush then the curvature of the rail would prevent a toddler from climbing over).

Bad design, not kid proofed.. in forty years nobody looked at that and thought "hm, that's not really safe."

And ideally, there's shouldn't be pedestrian walkways along a sheer cliff in general.. and then the bush blocks the view that just beyond it's a big drop.

Poor design, freak accident, a kid just climbed over then into the bush and then he fell, that's what happened.

[Poordogabone]

This is really a case of gorilla vs baboons.