Harambe the gorilla was shot and killed on Saturday after a four-year-old child fell into his enclosure in Cincinnati Zoo.
In order to protect the child, who received severe but non life-threatening injuries after falling between 10 and 12 feet, the much-loved gorilla was shot dead.
The youngster fell after he climbed under the barrier, and was with the rare animal for about ten minutes before the situation was deemed “life-threatening”, according to the zoo’s President Thane Maynard.
Details on sad incident at Cincinnati Zoo today: https://t.co/s9bYFTef0H pic.twitter.com/7gBqmw9DR7
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) May 28, 2016
Witnesses saw the gorilla “dragging and throwing” the little boy and, according to a press release issued by Cincinnati Fire Brigade, the youngster was located between the animal’s legs when it was shot.
Here's the rest of the video #cincinnatizoo #gorilla #harambe pic.twitter.com/fF2itjNbDx
— Amber Soler (@Amber_Soler) May 29, 2016
However, many people have said the beast was simply protecting the boy, referring to the 1986 case where a large silverback gorilla called Jambo protected a five-year-old boy after he fell into the enclosure.
Animal-lovers are also questioning why the western lowland gorilla wasn’t just tranquilised, a reason the zoo has explained on Facebook.
“Our first response was to call the gorillas out of the exhibit. The two females complied, but Harambe did not. It is important to note that with the child still in the exhibit, tranquilizing the 450-pound gorilla was not an option," they wrote on their social media page.
"Tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes and the child was in imminent danger. On top of that, the impact from the dart could agitate the animal and cause the situation to get much worse.”
Cincinnati Zoo Devastated by Death of Beloved Gorilla. https://t.co/7zxnWBRjTt pic.twitter.com/dBdzx5pKfL
— Cincinnati Zoo (@CincinnatiZoo) May 29, 2016
A petition calling on the parents to be investigated has now been set up, with more than 70,000 signing the campaign on Charge.org.
"This beautiful gorilla lost his life because the boy's parents did not keep a closer watch on the child,” reads the petition.
“We the undersigned believe that the child would not have been able to enter the enclosure under proper parental supervision. Witnesses claim that they heard the child state that he wished to go into the enclosure and was actively trying to breach the barriers.
“This should have prompted the parents to immediately remove the child from the vicinity. It is believed that the situation was caused by parental negligence and the zoo is not responsible for the child's injuries and possible trauma.”
The parents of the child may have charges brought against them, according to Ohio police, and the investigation continues.
