Gorilla Shot Dead After 4-Year-Old Boy Fell Into Gorilla Enclosure
This a very sad story of a 450 pounds Gorilla, Harambe - best known as the Silverblack - who got shot to death in order to save the life of a 4-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure in Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
In the video, it seemed like the Gorilla was protecting the child, but at a point, he dragged the little boy in the water. Many thought the gorilla was being violent, but it looked like he was only playing with the little boy.
According to Cincinnati Zoo, the little boy climbed through a public barrier at Gorilla World at around 4pm today on Saturday May 28 and fell into the exhibit’s moat. The Zoo’s Dangerous Animal Response Team responded to the life-threatening situation and made the difficult decision to dispatch the gorilla (Harambe).
“We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child’s life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team,” said Zoo Director Thane Maynard. “Our first response was to call the gorillas out of the exhibit. The two females complied, but Harambe did not. It is important to note that with the child still in the exhibit, tranquilizing the 450-pound gorilla was not an option. Tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes and the child was in imminent danger. On top of that, the impact from the dart could agitate the animal and cause the situation to get much worse.”
RIP Harambe
The four-year-old boy was transported to Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) after being removed from the exhibit. The child was released from CHMC Saturday night.
"We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically-endangered gorilla,” added Zoo Director Thane Maynard. “This is a huge loss for the Zoo family and the gorilla population worldwide.”
A child's life was in danger, but where was the mother of the boy when he was climbing over the barrier? This magical animal lost his life due to the negligence/ error of a parent. Harambe had just turned 17 years old a day before this sad incident happened and they had a big celebration for him.
May his soul rest in peace.