17 year old gorilla killed at Cincinnati Zoo

[Jkdbuck76]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/05/3...-to-rescue-4-year-old-boy-sparks-outrage.html

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/29/us/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-shot/

I included both Faux News and Clinton News Network links.

I must say that this incident brought out the whackos on social media. I've seen comments saying that it would have been better for the kid to die than the gorilla since gorillas are endangered while humans are over populating the planet.

Some people are blaming the kid's mom. Some are blaming the zoo's barrier system....which has worked fine for 30+ years. Some are mad at the zoo for using lethal force instead of tranquilizers....even though the zoo director explained the dangers of tranquelizing an agitated gorilla.

So people are outraged.

My question: where's the outrage over 50 million unborn children being murdered?
It shows how fallen we really are.

 

[annsni]

SO true J!

I do think that the poor mom should have watched her kid more closely and this was a terrible accident. I know a 4 year old very active boy can disappear from the best mom (I've seen it happen) and seriously - how does a 4 year old get all the way into an enclosure???? Apparently that is not the best barrier system if a 4 year old can get through it.

But the bottom line is that there was no safe way to get the child out of the enclosure away from the gorilla. It's heartbreaking that the gorilla had to die but man's actions have consequences: zoos, moms taking their kids to the zoo and an active child seeking to see a gorilla.

 

[Rob_BW]

People are nuts over animals nowadays. I guess it comes from most of us moving off of the farms.

The wife took our dog in to the vet the other day, vet wanted us to do an EKG to check for abnormal heart rhythm. The wife runs a fluoroscopy lab, so she's well versed in cardiac care. And declines the EKG. Because, what are we going to do, put our dog on $500.00 per month heart meds? Yeah, that ain't happening. But of course the vet makes it out like we hate animals.

 

[TCassidy]

The incident should never have happened. If the mother had kept her child under her control the kid would not have been hurt and the gorilla would still be alive.

Charge the mother with child endangerment then sue her for the cost associated with disposing of and replacing the gorilla.

When I watched the video I kept hearing "Momma's here, Momma's here." Great! Where was Momma when the kid was climbing over the railing into the enclosure?

 

[annsni]

Tom - Have you never had a child get away from you ever? From what I understand, the parents quickly saw that the child was in the bushes and went after him but he got too far from them too fast. It happens. I used to be one who thought that my child would never get away from me but then my second daughter scooted away from me in the store and hid under clothing on a rack. She thought it was cute that she was hiding. I didn't agree. After the store was locked down and we all looked for her, she finally came out. It literally was no more than 5 seconds or so that she got away in. Who would think that in a zoo, there would be a way to actually make it into an enclosure? The zoo is now evaluating how the child got in and will take steps to make sure their enclosures are more secure.

 

[Rob_BW]

I just watched the complete video. Were there no men in the audience? I would have thought someone would have jumped down to the child before the gorilla had a chance to even get over there.

 

[TCassidy]

No, I never had a child get away from me. First we kept them with us and under our control. Usually holding their hands, especially in crowds.

Second if they were not being held by the hand they had been taught that when mom or dad spoke they obeyed, immediately, without question or hesitation.

If the kid had been taught to obey mom and dad the first time, without hesitation, he could not have gone over the edge. "Freeze" was one of the commands we used. And our kids did just that. They didn't know why, but they knew better than to ignore dad's or mom's command.

 

[TCassidy]

I just watched the complete video. Were there no men in the audience? I would have thought someone would have jumped down to the child before the gorilla had a chance to even get over there.

I was wondering the same thing. Where was dad? Where were the other men who would do all they could to rescue the kid?

For that matter, where was mom? My grandkids are all older now, 16, 13, and 7. If something happened to the 7 year old his momma would move heaven and hell to rescue him. And grandma would be right behind. Don't get between my daughter and her babies, even when the 16 year old "baby" is 6'3" and 180 pounds. And the 13 year old is only 2 inches and 15 pounds behind him. There is nothing more fierce than a loving momma in "protect" mode.

 

[kyredneck]

Who would think that in a zoo, there would be a way to actually make it into an enclosure?

I'm wondering if the kid is extra small to go through or under barriers that the normal 4 yr old could not.

 

[annsni]

I understand the dad was there and he quickly went into the bushes to get the child but once the child went over the 10 foot wall, he didn't follow.

 

[Rob_BW]

I'm wondering if the kid is extra small to go through or under barriers that the normal 4 yr old could not.

Yeah, I understand that chain link fence might not be aesthetically pleasing, but it's fairly cheap and it works.

 

[preachinjesus]

It is sad that the grill had to die to save the life of this child but this is entirely the fault of the negligent parents. The zoo likely had security protocols in place to this and the security acted appropriately. That the child was saved is a good thing. In these instances you have to put down the animal, no questions asked and that is what the zoo officials did. Not an easy call. Hopefully the family has been banned from the zoo for life.

How a 4 year old was able to be unmonitored long enough to slip through a less than secure barrier is a confluence of events that all led to the death of the rare, endangered animal.

Its another reason zoos should be rethought.

 

[Zaac]

I just watched the complete video. Were there no men in the audience? I would have thought someone would have jumped down to the child before the gorilla had a chance to even get over there.

Rob, that's what I would have thought too. I know as a parent, if me or the child's mother is there, I'm jumping in to get my child. It might end badly for me, but I'm jumping in to get my child.

 

[Zaac]

I understand the dad was there and he quickly went into the bushes to get the child but once the child went over the 10 foot wall, he didn't follow.

See I don't get this. Usually, if you're a parent, you're not thinking about all of that. The adrenaline kicks in and you're over that wall like Spider Man.

 

[Rob_BW]

Rob, that's what I would have thought too. I know as a parent, if me or the child's mother is there, I'm jumping in to get my child. It might end badly for me, but I'm jumping in to get my child.

I'm not up on gorilla tactics (pun intended), but I reckon if four or five dudes jumped down there the gorilla would probably have decided that he didn't like the odds.

 

[Benjamin]

The zoo is equally responsible for the incident happening, if not more so. They were negligent. They should not have allowed for space that young child could crawl through and should have been realistic enough to understand that with the volume of people coming through there that sooner or later a child might escape his parents attention long enough to be at risk. That said, I'm more about fixing the mistake than looking for law suits.


I could not stand by and watch my child, or any child be killed and if that seemed to be case would have intervened even with the knowledge that I was no match for the gorilla and likely to be a short delay at best if the gorilla was on the attack.


I would be VERY anxiously awaiting whatever force necessary to stop the gorilla’s attack and think anyone an unconscionable coward who would put the gorilla’s life before the child if he was not willing to first take my place to try to protect the child.

IMO, no animal, not a police dog, none, are worth the life of a human. God said we have dominion over them and I believe it.

 

[Rippon]

Can you believe the incident has been made into a racial thing? Some blacks have said that the little white boy should have met his fate and that the gorilla's life should have been spared. They were somehow likening the gorilla to blacks and the ill-treatment they have received over time. There was real vitriol against whites because of this event. Then it was discovered that the boy was black...so never mind.

 

[777]

Yeah, I saw all that on Facebook too - when it was thought to be a white kid, the zoo shot this gorilla because of "white privilege": THEY WILL EVEN SHOOT AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL IF A WHITE KID IS IN DANGER!". Then, when it came the kid was black it was: "TYPICAL BLACK PARENTING, FERALS, POOR GORILLA!" Such racial polarization.

 

[Jkdbuck76]

Yeah, I saw all that on Facebook too - when it was thought to be a white kid, the zoo shot this gorilla because of "white privilege": THEY WILL EVEN SHOOT AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL IF A WHITE KID IS IN DANGER!". Then, when it came the kid was black it was: "TYPICAL BLACK PARENTING, FERALS, POOR GORILLA!" Such racial polarization.

Some ignorant, haters think EVERYTHING is a racial conspiracy.

Human privilege? ? We're the ones with guns.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[TCassidy]

The zoo is equally responsible for the incident happening, if not more so. They were negligent. They should not have allowed for space that young child could crawl through and should have been realistic enough to understand that with the volume of people coming through there that sooner or later a child might escape his parents attention long enough to be at risk. That said, I'm more about fixing the mistake than looking for law suits.


I could not stand by and watch my child, or any child be killed and if that seemed to be case would have intervened even with the knowledge that I was no match for the gorilla and likely to be a short delay at best if the gorilla was on the attack.


I would be VERY anxiously awaiting whatever force necessary to stop the gorilla’s attack and think anyone an unconscionable coward who would put the gorilla’s life before the child if he was not willing to first take my place to try to protect the child.

IMO, no animal, not a police dog, none, are worth the life of a human. God said we have dominion over them and I believe it.

We need an "agree" but also "disagree" button.

First paragraph, I disagree. You can't "fool proof" something when the fools are bigger than the proof. The boy went under a rail, through wires and over a moat wall to get into the enclosure, according to the zoo spokesperson. As for the enclosure barriers, the spokesperson said the zoo has been inspected by both the USDA and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He compared the scenario to a locked car that burglars find their way into if they try hard enough. Google orangutan ken allen. The San Diego Zoo spent 40 thousand dollars on his enclosure trying to keep him from escaping but he always found a way. In the middle of the day there would be Ken Allen, walking down the middle of the zoo's main street, looking at the other animals, and begging ice cream from the tourists. He never hurt anyone, but they would still have to tranquilize him to get him back in his enclosure. He was just a big, friendly ape who happened to think he was Harry Houdini (In fact his nickname was "Hairy Houdini").

Second paragraph, I agree. I am a husband, a father and a grandfather. And would put my life on the line without hesitation to protect my family.

Third paragraph. I am not convinced the boys life was in danger. The gorilla did seem to be protecting him, probably from the other gorillas. Tossing the boy into the corner and standing over him was classic gorilla action of protecting what he considered his own. Dragging the boy by the ankle out of the water was also pretty common for gorillas. They do it to their own kids. Granted, gorillas are a lot tougher than humans, but the gorilla's intent was not necessarily deadly. When the boy was examined at the hospital they treated him for a couple scrapes and released him.

But, I also know a 450 pound Lowland Silverback can be a dangerous animal, especially when his territory is invaded. So, in this case I will give the benefit of the doubt to the zoo personnel who made the decision to shoot the gorilla.

Fourth paragraph. I agree. All life is valuable, but human life is paramount.

So, where is the I agree/I disagree button?