CINCINNATI, May 30 (UPI) — The death of an endangered gorilla, shot at Cincinnati’s zoo after a child fell into its habitat, has prompted nationwide anger, blame and sympathy.
Harambe, a male Western Lowland Gorilla, was killed by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens’ Dangerous Animal Response Team after an unattended boy, 4, slipped away from his mother Sunday and fell into the exhibit’s moat.
The 450-pound gorilla held the child captive for at least 10 minutes, at one point violently dragging him through the moat by the leg. The decision was made to shoot the gorilla instead of tranquilizing him, an effort which could have taken many more minutes and put the boy in further harm.
“We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child’s life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made,” Thane Maynard, zoo president, said in a statement. He said earlier the boy climbed through a barrier and fell about 15 feet into the enclosure, after walking under a rail and through protective wires.
The child was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident provoked immediate outrage on the Internet, where an online petition, noting the “boy was able to crawl through a series of barriers and the Gorilla World enclosure. The petition, encouraging “the Cincinnati Zoo, Hamilton County Child Protection Services, and Cincinnati Police Department (to) hold the parents responsible,” drew 8,000 signatures in fewer than 24 hours.
A Facebook group, called “Justice for Harambe,” gathered over 100 “likes” within hours, and referred to the gorilla’s death as “murder.” Social media posts by the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggested a second barrier should have been in place, adding that “captivity is never acceptable for gorillas or other primates.”
The zoo’s Facebook page included comments that the parents of the child be sued for negligence and held criminally responsible for the incident, and varying opinions on whether the shooting of the gorilla was appropriate.
The zoo defended its security policies, noting it was the first time since the 1978 installation of its Gorilla World habitat that a breach occurred.
A candlelight vigil for the death of Harambe is planned for Monday near the zoo. Organizers said it is not a protest but a reflection of “compassion for the loss” of the animal.
Harambe, 17, was one of nine Western Lowlands Gorillas at the zoo. The species is regarded as critically endangered, with about 175,000 to 225,000 still alive in the rainforests of central Africa.
