Monkey Business Leads to Wrongful Gorilla Death
3 year-old’s horse play causes silverback tragedy
A 17 year-old was shot to death at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio on Saturday, May 28. However, the teenage victim was not a patron of the zoo, but rather a silverback gorilla named Harambe whose breed falls on the endangered species list.
Practices of supervision of young children in public spaces are under scrutiny due to incidents such as what transpired at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Harambe was shot and killed by zoo staff who believed that the gorilla was an immediate danger to four year old Isaiah who fell 12 feet into the “Gorilla World” enclosure of the zoo. Eye-witness footage begins after the boy had fallen into the enclo
sure and was approached by the gorilla. The footage itself leaves questions about the gorilla’s intentions toward the boy. Some parts of the video show Harambe protecting Isaiah by picking him up out of the water and holding his hand. Other sections are more damning. Harambe, possibly startled by the cries of onlookers, grabbed Isaiah by the leg and pulled him through enclosure’s moat to the opposite side. Although startling, Isaiah did not sustain any permanent or severe injuries from being dragged through the water. In fact, when Harambe pauses his trek through the moat, Isaiah calmly stares into the gorilla’s eyes, seemingly unfazed by his situation.
Families with many children have to be extra vigilant. Keeping kids close by can prevent accidents.
When zoo officials arrived on scene after 911 calls made by the boy’s mother, Harambe was shot, and died instantly. When asked why mere tranquilizers were not enough to subdue the silverback in time to get the four year-old out of the enclosure, officials claimed the boy was in immediate danger and tranquilizers would not have worked fast enough. However, some gorilla experts assert that Harambe did not display any harmful intentions based on his body language.
The story of Harambe and Isaiah has become widely publicized, as many media outlets share the details of the gorilla’s death. The public seems to be divided on the morality of the situation. Some call for a police investigation of Isaiah’s parents, who reportedly heard Isaiah claiming he wanted to swim with the gorillas. Others place the blame for the situation on the zoo itself, claiming the enclosure was not sufficiently secure, allowing the child to somehow crawl into the gorilla housing and fall 12 feet, resulting in a concussion and mild scratches. Still others blame the gorilla himself and believe that his
In places such as Colonial Williamsburg, animals graze peacefully in an area enclosed by a small wooden fence. Implications of incidents such as what happened in Ohio may result in reassessment and change of current enclosure standards.
death was warranted.
Activist groups took to social media, creating a petition for a police investigation of the parents of Isaiah: Deonne Dickerson and Michelle Gregg. The activists’ cries were heard and police began an investigation on Tuesday, May 31. After the investigation it was revealed on Monday, June 6 that the mother will not face any criminal charges for Isaiah’s tumble. Ohio prosecutor Joseph Deters stated that the mother was watching three other children at the time and was distracted by them while Isaiah made his escape. In the meantime, the Cincinnati Zoo has updated its gorilla enclosure, making it safer after critics said the zoo was to blame for the situation.
