By now, you will have heard all about last weekend’s drama at Cincinnati Zoo, which ended with much-loved gorilla Harambe being shot dead after a four-year-old boy fell into his enclosure.
The little boy was in the enclosure with the animal for 10 minutes and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, after being ‘dragged and thrown’ by the animal.
With calls for the child’s parents to be investigated and prosecuted on grounds of negligence, his mother has spoken out against criticism levelled against her.
A petition, ‘Justice for Harambe’, has already racked up over 250,000 signatures – but Michelle Gregg is appealing for the world to resist judging her.
In a statement shared to Facebook, Ms Gregg wrote: “As a society, we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off a child, and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen, but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today.”
“Thank you to everyone that helped me and my son today and, most importantly, God for being the awesome God that He is,” she added.
Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard said that ‘the right choice’ was made in the circumstances.
