There is outrage on social media at the shooting of Silverback Gorilla, after a 4 year old boy fell into his enclosure. This incident occurred on the 29th May 2016 in Cincinnati zoo, USA .
(Image Source: The Mirror)
Witnesses claim to have heard the boy stating he 'wanted to go into the enclosure' and was seen attempting to breach the barriers moments before the incident occurred.
After crawling through the barriers, the boy fell 12 feet into the moat area, and was grabbed by the 17 year old gorilla known as 'Harambe' (weighing in at 400lb/180kg).
Amateur footage shot by onlookers shows the gorilla dragging the boy through shallow water across the enclosure. Others argue that the gorilla was not trying to hurt the boy, but in fact protect him from the perceived threat of screaming witnesses. Jerry Stones, the 74 year old man who raised Harambe from birth, describes him as a "gentle giant".
It has been reported that a full 10 minutes passed before action was taken by the zoo, shooting the animal dead.
The public question why a tranquiliser gun was not used, though officials say that this method would not have been appropriate as it can take up to 10 minutes for the sedative to have effect, and could have provoked aggressive behaviour in the gorilla, increasing the danger of the situation.
The 4 year old went to hospital with concussion and bruises, but no broken bones.
'The parents are to blame'...
Deonne Dickerson and Michelle Gregg - Parents of the boy
Public writers on social media are blaming the parents for the unfortunate incident.
Michelle Gregg, mother of the boy, responds to criticism on social media, with claims that she should have been keeping a closer eye on her child.
Michelle Gregg, mother of the boy, responds to criticism on social media, with claims that she should have been keeping a closer eye on her child.
"As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes
off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my
kids. Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in
the right place today."
Over 70,000 petitioners have signed the campaign on Change.org, requesting an investigation of the parents' negligence.
Sources
All images are sourced from the links below. The authors claim no right over these images.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/eyewitness-says-seeing-gorilla-shot-8081827
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/astonishing-new-footage-shows-gorilla-8082168
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36407643
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