Cincinnati Zoo Shoots Gorilla to Protect Child After Falling in Enclosure; Sparks Outrage

[Cherry 1,302]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/outrage-after-gorilla-harambe-killed-at-cincinnati-zoo-to-save-child/

 

The killing of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo in order to save a child who fell in its enclosure has sparked nationwide outrage.

Animal activists have created online petitions and Facebook pages after a special zoo response team shot and killed the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe.

The four-year-old boy spent a terrifying 10 to 15 minutes alone on Saturday with the adult male gorilla. Harambe grabbed and dragged the little boy after the boy fell into the gorilla exhibit, officials said.

Many are angry the endangered gorilla was put down. Others want the boy's mother to face child endangerment charges, CBS News' Jamie Yuccas reported.

Facebook pages like "Justice for Harambe" are quickly spreading. The Facebook page currently has more than 11,000 likes.

 

Thoughts?

 

I'm fucking outraged that people are valuing the life of a gorilla over that of a 4-year old child. I've seen so many different arguments trying to justify them and they all make no sense. Some try to say that we are more expendable and the zoo should've let the child just stay in there for god knows what to happen. Some saying that human life isn't at all the most valuable life on Earth. I just don't understand it. How can someone in their right mind support a gorilla's safety over a 4-year old's safety?

 

[blotsfan 2,112]

I don't blame the zoo for doing what they did. You have to save the child above all else. However, you have to make sure your three year old isn't in a position where he can fall into the enclosure.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

I think the kid got more hurt from crawling through wires and bushes and dropping 10 feet because his mother was ignorant and not aware of him than what the gorilla did. The kid was in there for 10 minutes... If the gorilla wanted to harm the child, he would have been dead.

 

That kids parents are a bigger threat to his well being than that gorilla was. With that said, zoo officials did what they probably had to. Who knows what happens if they try tranq'ing the gorilla or go into the enclosure and try taking the child back (who the gorilla seems to be immediately protective of).

It's unfortunate.

[Cherry 1,302]

That kids parents are a bigger threat to his well being than that gorilla was. With that said, zoo officials did what they probably had to. Who knows what happens if they try tranq'ing the gorilla or go into the enclosure and try taking the child back (who the gorilla seems to be immediately protective of).

It's unfortunate.

 

I don't get that. A lot of people have been saying the parents are a bigger threat than the gorilla, but they seem to forget how dangerous the gorilla is. The parents are negligent at worst. They fucked up and let their kid out of their sight and it resulted in something awful. Does that mean they are 24/7 awful parents who don't monitor their kid? Not necessarily. All it takes is once and I'm sure many parents have had a scare or two when they have slacked off. It seems like an unwarranted witch hunt.

 

Also the fact that the gorilla is a 400-pound beast made almost purely of muscle that could crack the kid's head open with 10% of it's strength.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UxoDRHmXfs

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Gorilla's are "400 pound beasts purely made of muscle" . Two things on this....

1. You are right... If the child was in danger or in harm, the child would have been dealt with by the gorilla. Yet, the child was in the pen for 10 minutes and is already home like nothing happened. The gorilla COULD HAVE acted aggressively, but did not.

 

2. Humans are the biggest problem that faces this planet. We are the greatest threat to our surroundings. That gorilla could have cracked the kids head open. Humans have wiped out entire cities with a single bomb, laying waste to hundreds of thousands of other innocent people.

[Cherry 1,302]

If you replace the humans and gorillas in this situation you'd still get the same result. A parent wanting to protect their child from something they might perceive as dangerous.

 

A gorilla is wildly unpredictable. If we knew it wouldn't harm the child it wouldn't have been shot. But the zoo made the decision that it was too much of a risk and the gorilla had to be put down.

 

These aren't comparable. You're saying humans are more dangerous than gorillas in an attempt to discount that a gorilla has ridiculous power and could kill the boy with 10% of its strength.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

If you replace the humans and gorillas in this situation you'd still get the same result. A parent wanting to protect their child from something they might perceive as dangerous.

 

A gorilla is wildly unpredictable. If we knew it wouldn't harm the child it wouldn't have been shot. But the zoo made the decision that it was too much of a risk and the gorilla had to be put down.

 

These aren't comparable. You're saying humans are more dangerous than gorillas in an attempt to discount that a gorilla has ridiculous power and could kill the boy with 10% of its strength.

 

Do you really get the same thing? I cringed listening to that kids mom, "Don't worry" , "Mommy is right here"... Uh, where was mommy 10 minutes ago when little Spitfire was crawling under fences, through a bunch of wires and bushes, and fell 10 feet into a gorilla enclosure.

 

I didn't disagree with the zoo's decision. Perhaps you need to scroll up and re-read my posts?

 

No, I am not discounting the gorilla's power or strength. But I won't allow you to discount the ferocity of human beings as "animals" or "beasts" because we are by far the most dangerous animal roaming Earth.

 

4 year old Spitfire may just have been better off becoming Tarzan and being raised by monkeys.

[Cherry 1,302]

 

Do you really get the same thing? I cringed listening to that kids mom, "Don't worry" , "Mommy is right here"... Uh, where was mommy 10 minutes ago when little Spitfire was crawling under fences, through a bunch of wires and bushes, and fell 10 feet into a gorilla enclosure.

 

I didn't disagree with the zoo's decision. Perhaps you need to scroll up and re-read my posts?

 

No, I am not discounting the gorilla's power or strength. But I won't allow you to discount the ferocity of human beings as "animals" or "beasts" because we are by far the most dangerous animal roaming Earth.

 

4 year old Spitfire may just have been better off becoming Tarzan and being raised by monkeys.

That's ironic that you view you humans as the most dangerous species. Looking at it purely from a non-human perspective sure. But as a human why is there reason to give a shit when we're at the top of the food chain? There has never been another #1 predator who questioned the ramifications of their actions.

[Vin+ 3,121]

The first thought shouldn't be, "Well, let's kill it"

 

I mean, obviously this is only a few seconds, but if it were going to kill the kid, it probably would have by this point

 

https://twitter.com/Amber_Soler/status/736785301079629825

 

https://twitter.com/Amber_Soler/status/736785945194729473

 

https://twitter.com/Amber_Soler/status/736801913094574080

 

 

 

2. Humans are the biggest problem that faces this planet. We are the greatest threat to our surroundings. That gorilla could have cracked the kids head open. Humans have wiped out entire cities with a single bomb, laying waste to hundreds of thousands of other innocent people.

 

 

Agent Smith, everyone.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Vin

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

[RazorStar 4,025]

Honestly it seems like the gorilla wanted to take the kid home with it. Didn't seem like the kid was in any immediate danger, but trying to pry her back from the hands of a protective gorilla? I think we count ourselves lucky that the gorilla was the only unfortunate death here. Hope this kid becomes the next Jane Goodall or something.

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Don't disagree with shooting the gorilla but should probably have shot the mom afterwards too, seems like just as much of a danger to the kid as the gorilla was.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

That gorilla was extremely protective of that kid, yeah..made some sudden movements but it is an animal...if

it wanted to kill the kid it prolly would've on the spot.

 

But are we going to risk that happening? No.

 

If they wouldn't of shot the gorilla there would be just as much and hopefully more outrage..but Americans love their goddamn animals more than humans.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Zoo had no choice at all. But the parent sure as hell needs to be held responsible.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Remove that child from that mother's "care" immediately. If some stupid cunt keeps track of her kid this doesn't happen. I really don't understand why the animal couldn't be sedated, but whatever.

 

We are devolving as a species. It's time to stop letting dumb people reproduce.

[Thanatos 2,847]

Because the tranq dart, on an animal of that size, would take 5-6 minutes to take effect. They were afraid of what would happen if a gorilla, already on edge because of everyone shouting at it, felt the impact from the tranq dart and realized someone was shooting at it.

[blotsfan 2,112]

Remove that child from that mother's "care" immediately. If some stupid cunt keeps track of her kid this doesn't happen. I really don't understand why the animal couldn't be sedated, but whatever.

 

We are devolving as a species. It's time to stop letting dumb people reproduce.

 

Jesus christ bware. The parents definitely fucked up, but put the kid through the fun of the foster care system because of an honest mistake? I think they should be held liable for the damages done, but to want to ruin a kid's life because of one incident from parents that we have no reason to believe have done anything wrong outside of one thing.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

This poor gorilla had it's entire life wasted in a zoo as entertainment for people and then had it's life cut short because of the stupidity of people. I can see why some are outraged over this. At the end of the day the only victim here is the gorilla.

[Cherry 1,302]

Remove that child from that mother's "care" immediately. If some stupid cunt keeps track of her kid this doesn't happen. I really don't understand why the animal couldn't be sedated, but whatever.

 

We are devolving as a species. It's time to stop letting dumb people reproduce.

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/05/30/shaming-easy-mourning-harambe-hard/85154552/

 

Very much worth the read.

 

Also the tranq could've agitated the gorilla.

[Vin+ 3,121]

[Thanatos 2,847]

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2016/05/30/shaming-easy-mourning-harambe-hard/85154552/

 

Very much worth the read.

 

Also the tranq could've agitated the gorilla.

 

Except its not all true. We are acting on more information than what she states.

 

We know witnesses have reported that the child, on multiple occasions, stated that he wanted to go inside with the gorillas. We know the mother had pulled him back from such an attempt at least twice. In this woman's analogy, it would be like the child attempting to cross the street twice before actually succeeding. The child needed to be removed from the area since he could not be convinced to quit trying to enter the exhibit.

 

The mother also just rubs me the wrong way with her facebook post, saying that God protected her child. No he didn't, the zoo and their employees did. That's a whole other matter entirely, though.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Thanatos

[Bucman 891]

I think most people here commenting don't have kids. While the mother is certainly at some fault. You take your eye off a kid for a split second and they will get into everything they can. Its not possible to watch them 100% of the time.

 

The zoo definitely deserves a lot of blame. If this gorilla is so rare, why the fuck is it so easy to get into the exhibit? They need a better way to contain the animals. Not only for the safety of them, but the safety of the guest as well.

 

I also think its hilarious people are up in arms over an animal dying. But let a person get murdered and its no big deal

Edited June 1, 2016 by Bucman

[oochymp 2,393]

Except its not all true. We are acting on more information than what she states.

First off, there may be more that's come out in the day and a half since that article was published, second I don't think that invalidates the overall point that we should be focusing on sympathy and forward thinking efforts rather than trying to assign blame.

 

Having said that, I think there's plenty of blame to go around. To be clear, I don't at all question the decision to shoot Harambe, but there are about a dozen decisions by a variety of people that led to that moment that deserve a lot of questioning.

[OSUViking 505]

I sympathize more with animals because I hate humans. Shooting it was the right thing to do. But that mom fucked up. Not necessarily saying she or the father are bad parents, but how the hell do you let this happen? Kid is dumb too.

 

You're not going to get much out of me in the way of thinking humans really deserve anything. Yeah, I think we're more important than other animals, but I also hate humans and don't really care what happens to most of them. The kid is lucky to be alive, and I really hope this scares him into not doing stupid things.

[Thanatos 2,847]

I think most people here commenting don't have kids. While the mother is certainly at some fault. You take your eye off a kid for a split second and they will get into everything they can. Its not possible to watch them 100% of the time.

 

The zoo definitely deserves a lot of blame. If this gorilla is so rare, why the fuck is it so easy to get into the exhibit? They need a better way to contain the animals. Not only for the safety of them, but the safety of the guest as well.

 

I also think its hilarious people are up in arms over an animal dying. But let a person get murdered and its no big deal

 

No one had gotten into the exhibit in 38 years. It wasn't "so easy" to get into.