A four-year-old boy was able to get through the fences of a Cincinnati zoo and fell into an enclosure where gorillas were living and in an attempt to save the child, the personnel at the attraction had to shoot and kill the animal.
A video has surfaced showing the incident although not much of the dragging of the child as well as the shooting of the gorilla were shown. The incident is said to have taken place on May 28 at 4:00 P.M. at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The boy was able to sneak through a fence and fell a steep cliff that was 10 to 12 feet. The enclosure includes a 17-year-old Silverback gorilla named Harambe, Hollywood Life reported.
At first, Harambe was inside a cave but due to the commotion, he went out to see what was it about. He then saw the boy and came up to the child cautiously. The gorilla started touching the kid and he screams prompting the animal to pick him up as they march away from the crowd of onlookers.
According to a fire department official, who responded to the scene, the gorilla violently dragged and threw the child. The child was inside the gorilla pit for around 10 minutes or more. The dangerous animal response team then had to shoot Harambe. The child was in between the legs of the animal when it was shot. The child is now recovering at a hospital but details about his condition and identity remain unknown.
Director Thayne Maynard of the zoo said that a tranquilizer would not be enough and it could threaten the life of the child further thus the shooting. Maynard added, "It's a sad day all around. The right choice was made. It was a difficult choice." The zoo celebrated the 17th birthday of Harambe just last Friday, News Channel 8 reported.
Due to the move made by the zoo, animal rights groups h have expressed their dismay. One animal rights group said that there should have been a second barrier around the gorilla exhibit to prevent children from falling into the enclosure. CNN also reported that some people have started a petition suggesting that the parents of the boy should be held criminally responsible.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) took to Twitter to say that the latest incident was another proof that captivity is never acceptable.
After the incident, Gorilla World, which is home to nine more gorillas, in the aforementioned zoo will be closed indefinitely.
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