UPDATE: Charges Won’t be Laid Related To Gorilla Shot And Killed At Cincinnati Zoo
Four year old boy had fallen into enclosure
Monday – Charges will not be laid against the mother of the three year old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. An Ohio prosecutor says the case did not come close to warranting a charge of child endangerment or anything else, and he defended the mother as an attentive parent undeserving of the abuse and threats she has received. He said she had three other children with her and had turned away for a few seconds to attend to one; that’s when the three year old scampered off.
Wednesday – Police in Cincinnati have become involved after a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo was shot dead after dragging around a 3-year old boy who had fallen into its enclosure. Police investigating the actions of the boy’s family leading up to him climbing through a barrier before his fall.
Tuesday – The director of the Cincinnati Zoo has defended the decision to kill a 17 year old gorilla to protect a 3-year old boy who had fallen into the enclosure. Thane Maynard says it’s easy to second guess after the child was recovered safely. He maintains the gorilla was agitated and disoriented by the commotion in the minutes after the boy had fallen in. “We stand by our decision,” he said Monday, reiterating that using a tranquilizer on the 420-pound gorilla could have further threatened the boy because it wouldn’t have taken effect immediately.
Monday – Zoo officials say it was a tough, but necessary choice. Others are not sure sure it was necessary to shoot and kill a 17 year old gorilla at The Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-year old boy fell into its enclosure. Video shows the gorilla dragging the boy around, but onlookers say it did not appear to be hurting the boy. In fact, they say it may have been protecting the child. More than 2,000 people have signed a petition criticizing the Cincinnati Police Department and the zoo for putting down the animal. They have also called for the child’s parents to be held accountable for not supervising their child. The animal, named Harambe, was a Western lowland gorilla, an endangered species. The zoo said it had intended to use him for breeding.
