By now, you will likely be familiar with the controversy that has gripped the city of Cincinnati ever since a little boy fell into the gorilla enclosure of its zoo last weekend.
The incident – during which a four-year-old little boy emerged after 10 minutes with serious injuries – led to the shooting of male gorilla Harambe. This was followed by outcry from the public, who launched a petition for the child’s parents to be prosecuted for negligence.
Now, with the petition garnering over 250,000 signatures, Cincinnati police have confirmed that they will be investigating the family in relation to the incident.
In a statement issued by spokeswoman Tiffaney Hardy, it was confirmed that the investigation “is only regarding the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident and not related to the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo."
Details on sad incident at Cincinnati Zoo today: https://t.co/s9bYFTef0H pic.twitter.com/7gBqmw9DR7
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) May 28, 2016
"After the review, we will determine if charges need to be brought forward. If it is determined charges need to be brought forward, we would then discuss it with the Hamilton County prosecutor's office,” she added.
The authorities did not reveal how long the investigation will take to complete.
Amid outrage over the shooting of Harambe, the child’s mother, Michelle Gregg, took to Facebook to urge people not to judge her and her family.
“Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today,” she wrote.
We will keep you updated on the story as more information emerges.
