I’m sure by now you’ve all heard the story of Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla who was shot dead in a Cincinnati zoo after a four-year-old fell into his enclosure.
Of course, this has caused a huge outcry, with animal rights groups quick to vilify the zoo’s actions, and the usual “blame the parents” mentality already rife on social media to the point where a petition to have the boy’s parents 
charged already has over 60,000 signatures.
Is It Right To Blame The Parents?
Honestly, I don’t think it is.
Arguably, it could be said that the parents should have been holding the child’s hand, they should have been watching him more closely, they should have acted quicker. All of this is easily said when it hasn’t happened to you.
How easy it is to leave go of a child’s hand for one second while you rummage in your bag to get him a tissue or a drink. Of course you tell him not to move, but he doesn’t always listen. He’s watching the gorilla, and he takes a step closer, just one step, and he falls. You drop the bag and grab for him, but it’s too late, he’s fallen.
Does that sound like something that could happen to anyone? Even the most responsible parent? I challenge anyone to honestly say they have never left go of a child’s hand for one second.
If this incident hadn’t had the tragic outcome, no one witnessing a mother or father leaving go of a child’s hand for one second would call it negligence. There wouldn’t be a campaign to have the child taken away from them.
I would be willing to bet there is no one anywhere that blames the parents more than they blame themselves.
Should Harambe Have Been Shot?
This is a tricky one. My first thought is no, of course not.
Looking at the footage filmed by people on the scene, Harambe wasn’t attempting to harm the boy. He was using his body to shield the boy, and then when he became alarmed by all the screaming of the onlookers, he dragged the boy away. He was protecting the boy.
For that reason, I think killing him was extreme.
In a similar incident that happened in Jersey in 1986, a five-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure. The dominant male gorilla (Harambe was also a dominant male gorilla) stood watch over the unconscious boy, and was seen to be soothing him by stroking his back. He fought off other gorillas and when zoo keepers arrived to rescue the boy, he backed off, allowing them to take him.
That gorilla, named Jambo, was celebrated, Harambe was killed for the same actions.
Now, all that being said, would I have felt differently if it was my child in there? Yes, I would have. I would not have wanted my child’s life to be dependant on whether or not a gorilla felt threatened enough to attack. I wonder how many of the animal rights protestors would have felt differently if that was their child in there.
Zoo director, Thane Maynard, who was amongst the officials who made the decision to shoot Harambe is in a no win situation. He is seen as the bad guy, the one who ordered a beautiful animal to be shot.
Can you imagine if he hadn’t made that decision, and the boy ended up being killed? How much worse would the public reaction have been? How many of the people calling for his blood for ordering the death of Harambe would instead be calling for his blood for not acting sooner?
I don’t envy anyone who had to make a snap decision on this in a split second.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
I have seen a lot of people compare this incident to the one where the two men broke into a zoo at night, and antagonised a bear to the point where it bit one of them. Those men are being charged with criminal trespassing and the bear in question was not put down. The difference being they intentionally antagonised the bear, and they broke in with the sole purpose of doing this. That is very different to a child falling into an enclosure.
Where I think this should have been handled differently, is Harambe should not have had to have been killed. The zoo should have had instant affect tranquilizers on site. The officials argued that a standard tranquilizer may have aggravated the situation, but an instant acting one would have knocked him out immediately on impact.
It seems nothing was learned from the recent incident where two lions were shot after a man purposely entered their enclosure with the aim to commit suicide by having the lions attack him. The lions were shot because, the zoo reported, they had no instant affect tranquilizer on site. This should have been a wake up call to every zoo out there to ensure they had this on site.
Had they have had it, this incident would have had a very different outcome.
I appreciate that sometimes accidents happen. Human error can occur. But I have to question why the enclosure’s fence wasn’t large enough to stop a four-year-old child from falling . How had that risk not been spotted? Why wasn’t it higher?
What Can We Learn From This?
I would like to think that anyone running a zoo will take notice now, and after not one, but two incidents which have ended with animals being euthanized, that all zoos will ensure they have immediate effect tranquilizers on site. I honestly think this should become mandatory before zoos are allowed to open their doors to the public.
I also hope that zoos become a lot more vigilant with checking enclosures to make sure there is no way anyone could accidentally end up falling in.
I hope people learn that instant cries of “blame the parents” are not helpful in any way, and only serve to make a mother and a father, who are surely already feeling the ultimate guilt, feel even worse.
So, with all of that in mind, do I think the zoo acted in the correct manner?
In an ideal world, it would never have come to having to shoot to kill an animal, but this isn’t an ideal world and hindsight is a wonderful thing. In the circumstances, the zoo officials had to act quickly, and I genuinely believe they did what they thought was right to save the boy.
I don’t agree with shooting Harambe, he didn’t deserve to die, but in that situation as it happened, I’m not sure I could think of a better solution that wouldn’t have endangered the boy’s life. Regardless of your feelings towards the boy’s parents, you have to agree that the boy didn’t deserve to die either.
I think the case of the lions, which caused a lot less fuss, is actually the case that potentially could have ended differently. That man knowingly entered the lion enclosure, and yet the lions were killed and there wasn’t much of a reaction. This is the case of a child falling into the enclosure. A child too young to understand the danger.
It did look like Harambe was protecting the boy, but to believe he would continue to do so would have been an assumption, or at best an educated guess. I don’t think gambling a child’s life on an assumption is the responsible thing to do.
As much as I am saddened that Harambe has been killed, I also feel a kind of grudging respect towards the zoo officials, who acted in a way they thought would have the best chances of saving the boy’s life, even though they surely knew they would end up the targets of hatred from a vast amount of people.
As tragic as this incident is, I think we have to take a small level of comfort from the fact that the boy has been released from hospital and is making a good recovery.
RIP Harambe.
What do you think? How could the zoo have handled this differently? Do you think the boy’s parents are partly to blame? Let me know in the comments 🙂
You can find me here: Twitter Facebook Bloglovin Pinterest and Instagram Please do stop by and say hi!
Hi Dbbie, I thought your post was very balanced. When I first heard about it, I too was saddened to hear that Harambe was killed, and I still am. But the zoo officials were on an impossible position – if they did nothing and the boy was injured further they would have been vilified. I do wonder how there were gaps in the construction of the viewing structure large enough that a child could slip through? Kind regards, Kim
Thank you. It is really sad, especially if he was protecting the child, but I can see why the officials couldn’t take that chance. The gaps in the structure is my biggest question to. While everyone is so busy blaming the parents, and blaming the person who shot Harambe, no one seems to be questioning how that is ok, and the zoo must be thanking their lucky stars that’s the case!
I’m so glad you didn’t blame those poor parents, or the four-year-old child. It makes me sick how many people act as though the zoo should have let that poor kid die to teach him or his parents “a lesson.” Those people are awful. Children can do stupid, silly things, and they shouldn’t die for them!
Me too, I have read some comments which sickened me to my stomach about how letting the child die would have been preferable because the parents “deserved it”. I don’t think the parents deserved that for a second, but even if people can’t see past blaming the parents, how can anyone say letting a child die is ok? The child is four for goodness sake, not near old enough to view a gorilla as a danger. No child deserves to die!
I definitely don’t think the gorilla deserved to be killed. He’s a wild animal in a zoo, not a lot aggressive dog in a local park of kids. But neither do we have eyes in the backs of our heads to watch our children and so the zoo need to take responsibility for this tragedy. #twinklytuesday
I agree he didn’t deserve to be killed, but I can understand why the zoo acted the way they did. They had no choice but to prioritize the child. I think they do have to take some responsibility though, in that the enclosure should never have been accessible in this manner.
I watched an abc report last night and have to say they made the righ decision without a a shadow of a doubt. If that was my daughter getting dragged around its enclosure; it looked awful. I agree you can’t blame the mother; I’ve lost my daughter shopping, it happens. Saying that any animal life lost in these circumstances is sad but the zoo did the right thing xx #twinklytuesday
Agree with all of this! It’s just so lazy to say its the parents fault. I mean, partly it is, but who hasn’t take their eye off the ball before? Also, how did he get in? It was a tricky situation and it had a less than ideal outcome BUT the child is alive. That’s the main thing. Lessons learnt, let’s remember the beautiful animal, and move on. Too much anger and blame flying around.
That’s it, everyone makes mistakes, everyone has taken their eye off the ball for a second. Where do we draw the line on blaming the parents? It’s not like they wanted this to happen.
I can understand sadness at this, I am really sad that the gorilla was killed, but anger and blame slinging aren’t going to bring him back. Like you say, let’s remember him as a beautiful creature rather than remembering all the controversy.
I think your post is very balanced and I do agree with some of it. But I do think the parents in this case are to blame. They haven’t just let go of him for a second or two. The boy climbed a fence / railing thing and got through another two fences. Personally when I’m out either myself or my OH always has an eye on or hand on the kids. The petition for the parents to be investigated now sits at 160,000 signatures. I’m not saying they should be prosecuted. But I would like to know what the parents were doing for him to have been able to get into the enclosure.
Great post though!!
L X
#TwinklyTuesday
From what I’ve seen on this, the boy slipped through a gap in the fence. The fact that none of the other people who were present (and there were a lot, you can hear them on the video footage) managed to stop the boy either makes me think this was a split second thing. I could be wrong though, maybe people just didn’t want to get involved.
I don’t think prosecuting the parents will achieve anything – it won’t bring Harambe back, and all the internet warriors will find someone else to bully. I would be very interested to read the parent’s account of what happened though.
I think the parents have been through enough and I think what happened is lesson enough.
Thank you for sharing your views on the other side of the issue 🙂 x
Parents cannot do everything, and be everywhere, all the time. Just impossible. There is no easy solution here. An absolute nightmare for the parents and the zoo, too. #twinklytuesday
Exactly, parents make mistakes, just like everyone else. Surely what happened is enough without all of the backlash!
Yes that’s my thoughts exactly on the size of the enclosure bars! Why were they so wide?! I don’t blame the parents because we all look away for a second & that’s all it would take. It’s an awful shame that Harambe was shot. I agree he did nothing wrong. But, if it was my child in there I wouldn’t want to take the risk as a male gorilla could kill a child with one sweep of the hand. It is an awful tragedy! x
Exactly! Why not have an eight foot barrier that no one could get through or scale? It could easily be fibre glass or something similar so the experience is the same but without any risks.
It’s really sad and Harambe didn’t deserve his fate, but the zoo had to act in the interests of the child x
I wqasn’t aware there are instant-acting tranquilizers. That could have made a world of difference if they’d been available.
I wasn’t either until the incident with the lions. The said they had to be put down as they didn’t have any instant tranquilizers on site. The outcome would have been so much better had they have been available.
I agree some & disagree some. I grew up in Cincinnati & have been to that zoo probably hundreds of times. The enclosure is secure enough that if you get in you were TRYING to. So, unfortunately, I believe it was not a mere second or two that this boy was unaccounted for. I also believe that if your child is a “flight risk” — a child known for wandering off, disobeying, or being extra curious then you, as a parent, need to be taking extra precautions.
All the video I’ve seen looked like Harambe was protecting the boy, but when you’re a 40 LB child vs 400+ LB gorilla even gentle actions can look menacing. I trust that the zoo officials did what they though was right. They of all people LOVE these animals more than anyone. If they thought this was the best decision at the time, I trust them.
But, I do find it a bit interesting that all these people outraged probably had a burger yesterday for Memorial Day (in the states) or a hot dog, that was also once an animal. Why do they care about Harambe, but not the meat they eat? I’m a meat eater myself, but, am still not sure why they think all these animals are different.
#TwinklyTuesday
From what I’ve read, it sounded like the boy fell through some sort of gap in the fence. Having never been to the zoo I am only going on what I have read, often much of which is twisted to make the best story. You having been there, you will be a better judge of how hard it would be to fall in there, so maybe there is more to it than is being reported. I agree that children should be carefully watched, but I still say that at some point, this could have been anyone – everyone has taken their eye off a child in their care for a moment and unfortunately, this time, it had tragic results.
The footage I’ve seen did look like he was protecting the boy – at one point, he is clearly reaching out and gently stroking the child’s hand, but as you say, even a gentle action could have accidentally hurt the child, and it was dam scary when he dragged him off under the water.
I think for zoo officials to make the decision, there had to be no other way. The people working in these places are always attached to their animals and would not hurt them under normal circumstances.
That’s a really good point about the meat. I too now wonder how many of those people calling this murder eat meat. Why is a cow or pig any less important than a gorilla?
Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
It was an all around no win situation. Any course of action wouldn’t have had the ideal outcome, so they chose what they felt was the lesser of the two evils. It’s sad, but like you said, lessons can be learned and it’s a stark reminder to be careful and watchful with children.
Yes, the zoo workers really couldn’t win in this situation. Whatever they had done, someone would have said it was wrong, and ultimately, they had to protect the child.
I was drawn to your post when I saw it on #twinklyTuesday as I had just finished writing and linking up a similar post myself. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you have written here. What happened is extremely sad but I just don’t think the parents are solely to blame if at all.
Thank you. It is sad, it’s a tragedy that the gorilla had to be killed but blaming the parents won’t change what happened and all it is doing is making a bad situation even worse.
This is such a sad story, and I really feel for everyone involved. But I’ve been really shocked at how quick people have been to condemn the parents. I think we’ve all had instances as parents where we’ve taken our eyes off the ball, and surely the real failing is in the zoo having an enclosure that could be entered by a child. I don’t think the zoo staff are to blame either – they had a split second decision to make – a gorilla is a tremendously powerful animal, and animals are unpredictable creatures.
I agree completely. I think anyone who’s ever taken a child on a day out has had that moment where they are distracted for a split second. Luckily, in the huge majority of those cases, nothing bad happens, but when it does, so many people are quick to forget that it could just as easily have been them. The zoo staff had to act – if they hadn’t and they boy had been killed, they could have been facing criminal charges.
Your thoughtful, level-headed post is refreshing after all the negativity circulating the web. Until it happens to you, one can’t ever know how they might act. Shoot, I might have jumped right in after my kid, I don’t know. But I can imagine the fear the parents must have felt, and the anguish that still remains. The true tragedy is that the gorilla had to be put down for lack of other resources.
Thank you. I really believe the parents have been through more than enough without people campaigning to take their children away from them. I totally agree that the gorilla being out down was a tragedy and it could easily have been avoided had the correct procedures been put in place.
I agree; I’m always dismayed at how quickly our society cries out to blame the parents. In this case there were no good guys and bad guys; just a horrible situation and split second reactions. I can not even imagine how long of an eternity it must have felt like for those parents watching their child in an animal enclosure knowing it could b killed at any moment. Sad, tragic, and it all happened in the blink of an eye.
Me too. Like you say it was a horrible situation, but certainly not one the parents caused. Sometimes things can happen to even the most responsible of parents and I think that was the case here. I know, it must have been horrifying for them and it must have felt like forever!
I’ve honestly tried to stay away from the debate. I really can’t pass judgement as I wasn’t there. I feel bad for the parents, I feel bad for the poor gorilla that was shot dead, I feel bad for the child too. All in all it’s a horrible mess of a situation. #BloggerClubUK
I intended to stay away from it too, but the more ignorant comments I read (sickening comments about letting the child die to “teach the parents a lesson”) the more angry I got. I feel bad for the parents, child and of course Harambe too. It really was a horrible situation all round.
I think it’s such a hard thing to say either way really:( … I wouldn’t necessarily say the parents were to blame but at same time I’m one of these parents who literally never takes there eyes of there kids. I agree thou there was other ways of dealing with the situation than killing the gorilla x
I don’t think the parents were to blame – it was a split second and it could happen to anyone. There were definitely better ways to deal with this, and I just hope the zoo learns from it x
I think you’re making some good points. I was really surprised how many people were blaming the parents in this incident. Accidents happen, and they are tragic ones. The mother must feel terrible. #BloggerClubUK
Thank you. I can only imagine how bad the mother must feel about all of this. I really think she will be blaming herself more than anyone else will be blaming her, and I think the internet witch hunt is completely uncalled for!
This is a really well written and balanced article. It is so easy to let go of your child for a split second, every parent has done it even if they don’t want to admit to it. I think people blaming the parents are just being ridiculous, they hardly threw heir child in with the gorilla did they? I think the zoo is at fault as it shouldn’t have been possible for the boy to fall in. I’m so sad Harambe was killed when there is a tranquiliser available that could have brought a less tragic end to it all. Great post xx #BloggerClubUK
Exactly – everyone has done it, and if there hadn’t been such tragic results, no one would have judged the mother for taking her eye off her child for a moment. The zoo definitely needs to re-think their safety and their procedures so something like this can never happen again. Thanks you x
I’m really glad you posted this – it’s very easy for people to blame the parents but you’ve showed that there are so many contributing factors here. I’m really sad the gorilla was shot, but if that had been Josh I’d have done anything to ensure his safety – to me his life is obviously worth more than an animals! It’s very easy for people to pass blame and judgement when they aren’t involved. Really well written xx #BloggerClubUK
I think people are angry about this happening, and with good reason – it should never have been allowed to happen. However, I don’t think it’s the parent’s fault, and I think people are just jumping on the bandwagon blaming them so they have an easy target for their anger. I think the majority of the people saying sick things like “they should have let him die and saved the gorilla” would have been banging a very different drum if it was their child in there! Thank you x
I’ve read a couple of different takes on this now and the best was from a former zookeeper who looks after gorillas explaining why they did what they did. Yes it is sad. Yes the parents could have been watching a little more closely. Yes the enclosure should have been more protected. The point is we need to take lessons learnt from this so it doesn’t happen again.
I think one of the videos I seen had quotes from him, and I think he explained it really well. The zoo really needs to learn from this, and zoos all over the world should be taking notice too.
This whole episode is just really sad 🙁 #BloggerClubUK
It really is
As someone I read on FB said: no gorilla should be in a zoo anyway. I’m not a fan of zoos that keep large, wild animals in enclosures. Well done for being brave and writing about this incident – one of those that throws up more questions than answers. Alison x #BloggerClubUK
I must admit, I don’t mind zoos, as long as the animals are well cared for and have ample space. After this incident, I am inclined to re-think that though. Had Harambe have been in his natural environment, this could never have happened. Thank you x
This is so desperately sad and yet I have been shocked at the way that the press have vilified the parents and the disgusting things I have read about them on social media. I have four children and let me tell you, I don’t watch them every second of every day. There are times, on a day out, where I take my eyes off them for just a split second, none of us are the perfect parent. In my eyes I think the zoo needs to accept more responsibility for this. Why was there not adequate safety measures in place to prevent this happening? It should never have happened, and I agree, instant tranquilisers should have been on site ready for use. #BloggerClubUK
I’ve been shocked about the reaction to the parents too – you always expect a troll or two to run with it, but this is out of hand. If the mother had taken her eye off the boy for a minute and nothing had happened, none of these people would be calling for him to be taken away from her. Yes, the outcome was tragic, but the action by the parent was no different to the action many parents make everyday – where they look away for that split second.
The zoo must learn from this. If an enclosure can be penetrated by a four-year-old in a couple of seconds, it is not safe enough. Not even close.
I totally agree that all zoos should have Instant effect tranquilliser on site. My intial reaction to this story was why did they not give him tranquilliser instead. Such a sad story. You can tell from the video that he was trying to protect the child, however, if I imagine that child to be Arthur, and I watch him being dragged through the water like he was I am pretty sure my only thought at the time would be to save my child in any way – no matter the consequences to the animal. It is easy to watch the video knowing the boy wasn’t harmed and have an opinion, but imagine it had ended differently – we may all be saying why wasn’t somethings done from the moment he first dragged the child?
I think the zoo need to look closely at their procedures – having fences that can be climbed over isn’t acceptable, not having tranquilizer on site isn’t acceptable – 2 big issues there that could have brought about a different outcome. #bloggerclubuk
That’s it – whatever the zoo did, they couldn’t win. Had they not have acted and the child was killed, the public outrage would have been unbearable, they could have faced criminal charges, and they would have had to live with knowing their inaction killed a child.
The zoo definitely needs to learn from this. If a four-year-old can climb a fence, it stands to reason that the fence isn’t adequate.
I’m not sure about this and like most have mixed feelings. The more I hear about the parents, I don’t think they are completely free of blame.
Sure, we all have times when we look away from our little one, but surely not at the zoo? The same care should be applied as when crossing a road with a little one. A zoo is not a soft play area for kids.
I know what you’re saying, but let’s be honest, plenty of kids get ran over too.
No one will be blaming the mother more than she is blaming herself, and I don’t think an online hate campaign against her is helping anyone. I have read some things about her parenting skills, but most of these are coming from the same geniuses who are commenting things like “they should have let the child die to teach the parents a lesson” so I’m not inclined to believe a lot of it.
This is such a tough one, I don’t like the blame game on the parents that everyone is so quick to dole out. But I also think the zoo need to learn from this, the boy was in with the gorilla for 10 minutes before they even arrived at the scene, as you say, if it was my little boy I reckon I would’ve been screaming for action. Good summary on a hard topic! #bloggerclubuk
The zoo definitely need to learn from this. That enclosure (and the rest) need to be made 100% child proof. And I agree that they need to work on their response time. If they had been there straight away, it might have even been possible for a staff member that Harambe knew and trusted to enter the enclosure and safely remove the child.
It’s just so sad. I think as time went on and the gorilla got agitated by the crowd the situation was becoming dangerous. I believe the instinct if the gorilla was to protect but then he got worried and started displaying with the dragging etc – I read something by a gorilla expert that described it. I’m with you on instant tranquillisers but I suppose since he would leave the boy, or the water, you couldn’t guarantee that the boy wouldn’t get squashed or that Harambe wouldn’t have drowned.
It must have been devastating for the keepers and I think the child’s parents will carry the guilt of that silverback’s death.
The zoo, however should be reassessing the safety of all their enclosures – had there been no way to fall for the boy, Harambe would still be here.
#BloggerClubUK
It really is sad. I agree – I think a gorilla has the same ability as any other species to recognise that the child was just baby and no threat. It was all the screaming that agitated him. Another commenter said that had the crowd been evacuated straight away, this could have had a very different end and I’m inclined to agree.
I didn’t think of the fact that he could have squashed the boy or drowned if tranquilised, that’s a really good point.
I believe the parents will carry a lot of guilt – the gorilla’s death and the extremely close call for their boy.
The zoo definitely needs to work on the safety of the enclosures.
It’s a very sad story and a really tricky issue. I’m not sure how I feel about it, I can see both points of view. I guess like anyone nobody would know how they would react to this situation. Sad the gorilla is dead, glad the little boy is ok. #Bloggerclubuk
It’s really sad. It’s one of those stories that, whatever happened, was going to have a tragic end one way or the other.
completely tragic. I read an article yesterday by a woman who worked for a number of years with gorillas. it helped me understand why they shot him. although it still completely saddens me and I just cant understand how it is possible for a child to get into an enclosure. #bloggerclubuk
My first thought was that killing him was wrong. But I read several articles too and I came to see it really was the only way to guarantee the child was safe, and ultimately, the zoo had to out the child first. It’s still really sad though.
That enclosure should never have been so easy to get into. If a four-year-old child can get in, it’s not even close to safe enough.
Thoughtful post and as you say hindsight is a wonderful thing. God only knows how anyone would feel if it were their child. Ashamed to say, my very obedient, compliant and unadventurous not quite 4 yr old son got himself to the pub down the road after letting himself out of the garden gate when I had my back turned for 30 seconds and had been talking with him. If I’d heard that from anyone before I became a mother, I’d have been very judgmental. Now I know better.
For the future:
1. Zoos need to make their enclosures completely childproof
2. Steward on hand at all times to calm the situation and herd screaming onlookers away and soothe parents before redlighting emergency staff.
I think it’s easy to look at the big picture and blame the parents without stopping to think that whatever the outcome, the fact is it only takes a minute where parents eyes are off their child for something to happen. If the boy’s mother had done exactly the same and the boy had just stood there for the minute she had her eyes off him, how many people would have even noticed, let alone be calling for her child to be taken away from her. The poor child has surely been through enough!
The enclosure (and any others that this could happen at) needs some serious work. I have heard people say it would be difficult to get in. That’s not enough. It needs to be impossible.
I believe if there hadn’t been a group of screaming onlookers, this could have ended differently as the gorilla would have been much less likely to feel threatened.
You give a well-balanced discussion here Debbie, and I actually feel a little on-the-fence so to speak about this. This is such a sad story and I don’t think there are any easy answers/reasons. I read a story by someone who works in a zoo (not that zoo) but has experience working with Gorillas and she claims that the Gorilla was showing signs of agitation and that no tranquillizer would have worked quickly enough which then could have meant the child was at risk. I have a child, that would, if given the option, wander off. He’s getting older now and is getting more trust worthy. He was once playing in a child’s play area that we had never been to before and climbed up a hill as the slide was integrated into a small hill, instead of coming down (I was at the bottom) he ran down the other side. I legged it up the hill and when I got to the top, the fence was really low at the other end and there were cars parked. I panicked for that split second but on casting my eyes around the side of the hill, he had ran back into the play ground, just walking around the hill. I’m not going to lie, my heart was in my mouth, I felt sick. I spoke to him and explained that he wasn’t to go that way as there were cars and I couldn’t see him and he didn’t do it again but I still kept close watch. I had my other two children with me too so I wasn’t just watching him. You really do have to have eyes in the back of your head. That was a 5 seconds thing – longest in my life! We also went to a zoo last year and I made everyone stay together and hold hands. I didn’t consider for one minute that they would end up in an animal enclosure but it was the fact it was so busy and I didn’t want to lose anyone. It’s really awful that the Gorilla was killed and it’s the worst mistake the parent could ever have made. I think it’s easy to judge but I’m not a zoo expert and I can’t possibly tell them the best course of action so I just have to trust what they did was the best, based on their knowledge and experience. I’m also human and I’ve made mistakes (although I’ve never lost a child) and there is no way I would like to be responsible for this death as the Gorilla was innocent – he didn’t know how to react. There were no winners here. Do I think prosecution is harsh? Yes, but I think that they do need to take some responsibility here for what happened. What about the McCann’s leaving three children in a holiday home whilst going for a drink resulting in a child kidnapping (or whatever story anyone believes)? There is no way I would ever have left any child for the sake of a drink or meal in peace! A lot of people believe that they should have been prosecuted as leaving them children was actually on purpose. I’m not going to go into the whole Maddie thing as again, I don’t know what to think and I don’t know what happened exactly. I just know, Harambe’s death is absolutely terrible and I do think that he would have only been killed if it was a last resort – remember the zoo now has bad publicity, has brought the animal up, and will lose money as a result. I’m not saying that’s more important I just mean it makes no sense why the zoo would do this unless they had to as it wasn’t an outcome in their best interest. Neither would it have been if the child was killed wither. RIP Harambe! #BloggerClubUK
Janet from RRW
I can’t imagine there’s a parent out there who can say they have never taken their eyes off their child for one second (at least not honestly). It was just unfortunate that this mother happened to make her mistake at such a bad time. I don’t believe she deserves to be prosecuted – she didn’t throw him in there on purpose. The Maddie thing was a bit different – they knowingly left her alone and went out, which I do think is negligence, however, surely losing a child is punishment enough ( if that’s what happened, but I agree – let’s not go there!).
I’ve also read a lot of accounts from experts who believed the zoo made the right call, and have said the gorilla was showing signs of agitation. I think this was more of a result of the crowd screaming that the child – maybe if they been evacuated, he would have calmed down. But that’s easy to say with hindsight, and it would have been a huge risk.
I agree, financially, the zoo would not have made that decision unless it was a last resort, plus the people who work with the animals daily really do form a bond with them.
I’m not sure? I’m no expert…I guess like we trust our doctor or anyone is authority the zoo keepers knew what they were doing.
Trust seems to be lacking in society.
I have to think that for zoo officials to kill the gorilla, there must have been good reason. Generally, no one loves those animals more than the people who care for them everyday. They won’t have made that decision lightly.
What a fair and well-balanced post! It’s just crazy to think that no matter how careful we are, accidents do happen out of our control. It’s a shame that the situation ended that way, I don’t even want to be in the Zoo officials position to decide what’s best for everyone. Hope all of us, not just Zoo officials have learned a lot from this and make extra precautions every time. #BloggerClubUK
Thank you. It was an awful situation and I wouldn’t have wanted to make the call either. Hopefully, as you say, we can all learn something from this.
Hopefully there will be a proper investigation of what happened as it’s difficult to comment properly without more information.
But it sounds like an unfortunate combination of circumstances. Determined small child, an enclosure that could have been better protected AND parents who weren’t watching as closely as they could have.
The whole thing is desperately sad 🙁
I’m sure there will be, but whether or not that will be made available to the public I don’t know.
It was a chain of unfortunate events that led to something tragic happening, lets just hope that we can all learn something from it, and this sort of thing never happens again!
ah, this is a tough one! I agree with so many points on both side of the argument… ultimately if it was my child, I would have wanted them to do ANYTHING to save my child.. but death to this poor animal does seem extreme when I look at it from the point of view that it wasn’t my child… its so hard! He didn’t deserve to die, but there was a child in there too and as the zoo said, they would have still absolutely done the same thing if they could go back.. tough story! #bloggerclubuk
It was a horrible situation all round. Of course the gorilla didn’t deserve to die, but neither did the child, and the zoo have to make a child their first priority.
Hi Debbie, I thought this post is really well balanced – it made me really sad when I heard the news. However I do agree that we can’t just blame the parents, as it’s so easy to just take your eyes off them for a moment. I did so today and a moment later she had crawled under the table and was munching on a piece of foil. I would’ve wanted the zoo to help in any way they could, but this was quite far in my opinion. #bloggerclubuk
It really is that easy isn’t it, just most of the time, nothing bad happens. Originally, I thought it was an over reaction, but I have heard a lot of experts say it was the right thing to do. Ultimately, the zoo had to act. Imagine if they hadn’t and the boy had been killed.
this is such a tough one. I can and will not take a stand because this is sch a unique situation. I mean a cild. and a Gorilla. If this was my chid…..What other options were there. I blamed the mother initially. How can that happen! but then I am a mum of four and I know that we only have 2 eyes. I don’t know. it is sad. and very unfortunate.
That’s it – I wonder how many of the people saying the gorilla should have been allowed to kill the child (and yes I have seen many comments stating as much) would feel the same if it was their child. It really is sad.
There are lots of what-ifs and could-have-done-betters on this one but, at the end of the day, staff acted quickly and saved a young child’s life. My view is always that human life should be put before animal – it doesn’t please any of the animal charities that come to my door, but I stand by it. It’s like when everyone was up in arms about that lion killed in Zimbabwe last year. If people exercised themselves half as much about the fact Zimbabwe has one of the highest child death rates in the world, we might be able to see some real improvements. #bloggerclubuk
Sad as it was, I agree – the child had to be the priority. I was annoyed about the Zimbabwe thing, because in my opinion it was senseless killing, but it annoyed me how people jumped on the bandwagon because it was a famous lion. No one cared before that! And to be fair, you make an excellent point – if people cared half as much about the children of Zimbabwe as they did about that lion, the world would be a much better place. By tackling poverty, hunger etc surely that would mean that locals didn’t need to organise big game hunts to feed their families so everyone would benefit.
Without knowing the child or mum, and without having been a witness to the event it is so difficult to say what was going he right / wrong thing to do, and who (if anyone) was to blame.
The whole event is so tragic and sad, and an animal has lost it’s life through a circumstance that was not of it’s own making. That is heartbreaking.
I do hope that lessons are learnt from this, so that we don’t read of a similar tragic event again.
#bloggerclubuk
It is hard, because we can only know what we are shown, and often that isn’t even close to the full truth. It is truly heart breaking, and I too hope that zoos everywhere learn something from this.
This story really upsets me. I’m upset for the boy and the fear that his mum must have also felt, but most of all for the gorilla. I do have my own thoughts on this which I think is more kitchen table talk, but I do think the parent could have helped prevent this. I do feel they are partly to blame. I completely agree that children slip away and until it happens to us it’s easy to throw stones, but I just can’t picture the ease of getting from his mum, to a gorilla. Children are sneaky and some are runners, that’s an awful part about parenting. I’m not throwing all of the blame on this little boys mum, because I have no doubt that she’s sick to her stomach herself, but it’s such a crazy scenario that could have been prevented if there wasn’t a distraction. As parents we spend most of our time distracted, so I get that. I’m just so upset that a death happened because of it. Lets hope no family or animal suffers after this. A really lovely post to read though Debbie, very thought provoking. It’s such an awful situation isn’t it x #bluggerclubuk
It really upsets me too, and I think amidst all of the anger and cries for the parents’ blood, people are forgetting that this was a tragic accident which ended up with a beautiful creature losing his life. I really do hope the zoo learns from this – if an enclosure is that easy for a four-year-old to get into, it isn’t secure enough. It is an awful situation, and there was never going to be a good outcome from it x
Difficult as in reality it should be no ones fault. Accidents happen and it had to be dealt with. I don’t blame the zoo keeper or the parents. It was a shame the gorilla had to be shot but we can’t turn back time now. I hope that zoos learn from these mistakes and it doesn’t happen again. #bloggerclubUK
I agree – no one set out to harm the gorilla, unfortunately it was just one of those tragic things that no one could have predicted. I do hope that zoos take note though and ensure all their enclosures are completely safe and that they have procedures in place, just in case.
I agree with everything you’ve said. I strongly believe that the parents are not responsible for the Gorilla’s death. The whole thing is just desperately sad. #BloggerClubUK
Me too, and it really is sad!
Those parents must be feeling awful that the spotlight from the world is on them, judging them. I’m glad you didn’t blame them. We totally agree with the tranquilizers on site. Shouldn’t need to shoot dead an animal. 🙁 #TwinklyTuesday #BloggerClubUK
I know, I think they’ve been though more than enough without online hate campaigns too. Definitely not, this could have been avoided had the right measures been in place.
I think this is something everyone will always disagree on. All I know is that my three year old can break free of a hand hold if he so desperately wants to and it seriously could happen to any child and any parent. It’s a sad story that could have had an even bigger tragic ending. Thank goodness the boy is ok. #BloggerClubUK
I totally agree – kids have a way of slipping away if they set their minds to it, and you’re right, it could have happened to anyone. It is tragic, but it could have been much worse
The outcry against the parents (particularly focused on the mother) made me so cross. It is very easy to take your eye off a child for a split second and have them disappear and most parents have had that panicked moment at some point when it happens. I do think it is very sad that the gorilla was killed but my biggest question had always been how on earth was an enclosure accessible to a 4 year old boy? Even if the parents weren’t watching him, he should never have been able to get in there. It’s good to read a very balanced reflection on the whole thing, especially after all the vitriol that has been circulating on social media. #bloggerclubuk
It did me too – I wasn’t intending to write this post, but the more comments I saw the more annoyed I got. Some of the comments were downright sick! It’s not like the mother threw her child in there!
That’s what I can’t fathom out either. If the child had been completely unattended, the enclosure should still have been secure enough that he couldn’t get in!
Very balanced post Debbie. There was a very interesting post doing the rounds on Facebook by someone who works day in day out with these ‘gentle giants’. She actually wrote that all the actions that Harambe was displaying were once that he was agitated and could very much kill that child in seconds and that the zoo staff did the absolute right thing. A lot of the people on my Facebook who were in outcry were those without children. Zach is like Usain Bolt and it is impossible to watch children every second of every day! Thanks for linking up with #TwinklyTuesday
Thank you. Yes, I saw a video that had an expert discussing the gorilla’s behaviour and he said the same thing. The zoo really did have to act, they couldn’t risk the child’s life. I don’t have children myself, but I know a lot of people who do (all very responsible parents) and sometimes, those kids make a dash for it, and all you can do is chase them and hope for the best. Thanks for hosting 🙂
I know very little on this issue, I have barely seen the news lately. But reading your post I agree, kids wander off (although mine follow me everywhere and seemed to be attached with glue) and in an instant bad things can and do happen. I can not judge this mother, I wasn’t there, and the same for the zoo’s choices I can not judge. It is so sad though #BloggerclubUK
I believe that the zoo had to act, they couldn’t risk the boy being killed, but it is still a really sad outcome.
Hi Debbie, this is a tricky one and as saddened and angered I feel about the recent zoo shootings, I can’t stand in judgement. The people that had to pull the trigger to kill both the lions and Harambe must have been devastated at having to do so.
My question to the incident of Harambe is how on earth was it possible for a four year old to get in the enclosure in the first place? That really has to be looked at. As for an immediate acting tranquiliser? Is there really such a thing that could bring down an animal as large as a gorilla that would act instantly, not giving the creature a moment to react? I don’t know. But what I do know is that three beautiful animals have had to die because of human failings.
xx
That’s exactly what I want to know – if a four-year-old can get into an enclosure, it isn’t even close to secure enough.
I’ve only based the immediate tranquilizer off what I’ve read – in the case of the lions, the zoo admitted if they had had these to hand, then they wouldn’t have had to shoot the lions, but they only had standard tranquilizers on site.
Both of these cases are so sad and both could have had a different outcome had the proper procedures been in place x
I strongly agree with you. If only the zoo had had instant tranquillisers, but they didn’t, so that really was the only way. I struggle more with the fact that it is possible to fall into an enclosure. With that in mind, I think the zoo is really to blame, but the keeper did what he had to do. #BloggerClubUK
I agree – you can’t blame the keeper who made the decision, his hands were tied, but some fault has to lie with an enclosure that a child can access!
Such a terribly sad story – I like how your post looked at all the facts and previous cases. Like you I think all zoo’s should have immediate effect tranquilisers on site. No animal should have to die due to human error. Zoo’s are there to protect these magnificent creatures and to promote their wellbeing. Of course the zoo’s management had to act to save the boy, people would have been even more outraged if anything had happened. I feel sorry for the parents, these things happen so fast, it doesn’t make you a bad parent, young children are as unpredicatable as animals. Thanks for hosting #bloggersclubUK
Thank you. They had no choice but to act, it’s just so sad to know that if they had had the right equipment to hand, then the outcome could have been so much different. I don’t think this makes them bad parents, I think it makes them human, and extremely unlucky!
Very well thought out and balanced post. Like you I am one to jump down the throat of the parents, we all know it takes but a second to let go of their hand or turn your head and they have gone without a sound, and Goodness if you have more than one child…. I also am saddened the gorilla was killed and do not necessary believe that action was required nut had my child been in there I know I wouldn’t think that way! But like you what stood out to me most is how on earth the enclosure was such a child could get in there in the first place! That to my mind is the fundamental issue and error at play here. But hey what do I know… #bloggerclubuk
Thank you. I don’t care how secure the zoo claim the enclosure is – if a four-year-old can get in it, it’s not secure enough!
I too see your debate here as very balanced. I certainly wouldn’t blame parents, we’ve all taken our eyes off our children and found them up to no good. This time, it ended in tragedy. What I find most interesting is that zoos are not learning from these tragic incidents – if fast acting tranquilizers exist then they should definitely, without question, be kept in every zoo, because accidents can and will happen, but tragedies don’t have to. #BloggerClubUK
That’s the worst thing – incidents like this are occurring over and over because the correct procedures aren’t being put in place.
I couldn’t agree more with your summing up statement. #BloggerClubUK
Thank you!
Such a sad story. I have heard some experts say that his behaviour was not on keeping with protecting the child on other articles. Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to know for sure what might happen in that situation. The fault is with the set up of the enclosure as you say – the way in was accessible and the equipement to hand. The people involved in the incident were just stuck in a very unfortunate situation. #BloggerClubUk
Yes, I’ve heard that too, and they had no reason to lie so I’m inclined to think the zoo had to act. The people were really in a bad situation and the media witch hunt isn’t helping at all.
I agree with everything you write in this post. I think with the parents it’s easy to judge and they are now probably feeling awful. It’s a terrible situation that may have been able to be avoided but one we can learn from. #bloggerclubuk xx
Thank you. Yes, they will be blaming themselves so much more than anyone else is blaming them. I hope zoos all over do learn from this! x
A really great summary.
I’m pretty outraged that there have been petitions for the parents to be investigated. The people signing this weren’t even there so how dare they judge.
I agree the zoo need instant tranquillisers for sure. Thanks for sharing X #bloggerclubuk
I just hope those people never find themselves in a similar situation because they would struggle to get any support! x
I totally agree that every zoo should carry instant acting tranquilizers. Like it should be a law. As for the reactions of people none of it surprises me. People are always quick to blame the parents … Even other parents. I wasn’t there, therefore I have no room to judge the actions of the parents. It’s a sad story…that’s the bottom line. It’s sad that an innocent animal, that shouldn’t have even been in captivity in the first place, had to die. As much as I love zoos and being able to enjoy seeing animals up close the truth is they deserve to be free. Thanks for hostessing #bloggerclubuk great post!
It should be a law, especially in light of what’s happened. I’ve never really had an issue with zoos as long as the animals are well cared for but after this I am rethinking that a little bit. If the gorilla had been out in the wild where he belonged, this couldn’t have happened. Thank you 🙂
So erm I clearly have my head so far up my blog that I didn’t even know about this until I read your post! Excellent post and yes tragic as it is, what choice did the zoo have? It is however disgraceful that the enclosure wall was as you say so low and that they didn’t have tranquillisers on site. And what on earth is wrong with society that people judge and judge when they’d be bereft if the shoe was on the other foot and they were the ones being judged? #BloggerClubUK
Exactly, there have been pictures released now of the fence. It was only about three feet high and it was basically made up of a series of slats that made it easy to climb. Some of the comments I have read about the parents are sickening!
Well considered post. I agree that I don’t think blaming the parents (or the mother, actually, though they were both there!) is fair. Maybe they were being neglectful of their responsibilities, but it could just as easily have been something that could happen to any responsible parent.
I think it should be considered whether the security on the enclosure was sufficient, though I recognise it had been there a long time & never been breached.
I actually don’t think they had any viable option but to shoot the gorilla. It is sad, as it wasn’t his fault & he was put in that position by human error. However, they could not gamble the life of a child, & would have been heavily criticised for doing so. As well as issues about it working, experts did say that tranquilising the gorilla could have caused him to crush or drown the child, & also be at significant risk of drowning himself.
There was a very interesting post by a zoologist who had worked with gorillas about his behaviour and gorillas in general. She said that gorillas can be deliberately dangerous, and also that even unitentionally could have easily killed the child by accident due to sheer size. She also said that handlers do not go near gorillas or into enclosures because of that, & gorillas are categorised in the group of the most dangerous animals in the world. She also said that he was not protecting the child. She said his behaviour showed that he felt threatened (by the crowds), he had ascertained that the child had relevance & had therefore taken possession of him. She said that it is unlikely he would have surrendered the child. She also said that the zoo actually had attempted to call in the gorillas with bribes, the females had gone, but the male would not go, because the child was a better toy to him. She essentially said that the gorilla may not have harmed the child, or may have harmed him but only by accident, but his actions and behaviour were certainly misinterpreted & humanised by those claiming he was protecting the boy. She said the situation was dangerous, the gorilla’s behaviour was concerning, and she didn’t believe anyone could have got the child away from him by other means. #BloggerClubUK
After seeing the recently released photos of the fence, which was after writing this post, I am amazed this hasn’t happened sooner. The fence is only about 3ft high and it is made up of slats that look as easy to climb as a ladder. Even if the parents where distracted (and I agree – if people must insist on blaming the parents, at least mention the father too!), there is no way the zoo can deny any liability.
I read something similar by an expert that said his behaviour was worrying. It didn’t go into much detail, the one you read sounds much better. I had no idea handlers don’t go into the gorilla enclosure. I did wonder why his handler didn’t attempt to get him to release the child, but now I understand it. I really don’t think the zoo had any other choice but to act.
It’s a tragic end, but ultimately, the child had to be their priority.
This is such a hard one!! It is so easy for them to run off. They are quick sometimes and it is so tricky! I think if I was the parents I would definitely have wanted my boy safe at any cost. That said, as you say, the footage doesnt look like he is trying to harm the boy. very tricky! x #BloggerClubUK
It is tricky, and no outcome was going to be a good one. x