What do you think? A petition to hold the parents of a child who fell into a gorilla enclosure responsible for the groilla's death.. #JusticeForHarambe petition for gorilla shot dead gets HUGE response | Metro News The silver back gorilla who petitioners say was "protecting" the child by dragging him round the enclosure by his heel was shot dead by zoo staff. Perhaps it would have been a neater and more just solution to shoot the child. I wonder if there would have been a petition to blame the parents for that. Much as I'm saddened by the death of a magnificent creature and whether the parents were at fault or not, the child certainly wasn't. Gorillas are known to kill the offspring of rivals and a male silver back is capable of puling the limbs from a grown man like an insect.
He wasn't harming the child, so I'm sure darting him would have done the job without taking his life. The parents are to blame and should be fined and banned from every wildlife park
A very sad story. I don't know how the child managed to get into the enclosure but the fact that he did is where it all started to go horribly wrong. That such a magnificent creature had to die because of a human failing is a tragedy but in the circumstances I feel it was the right decision.
The child's mother should have been lowered into the enclosure to frighten the gorilla off, damn she is twice the size of that beast!
Watching the video, it seems to support the stories of the gorilla being quite friendly up until everyone starts screaming at him. He's holding hands with the boy and at the screaming, he starts darting around (still holding the boy). If that were an infant gorilla it would probably have just run along with him but obviously we're not gorillas. I'm torn on this one. Part of me thinks the child should be protected at all costs. The other part of me thinks the gorilla is endangered and that actually, after all we've done to the world and its animal populations, maybe we should prioritise the endangered ones over a child. Humans are hardly on the brink of extinction. Huge questions to be answered as to how he got in. The zoo were quoted as saying "have you seen a 4 year old. They'll find a way to climb through anything". Well actually, I'm sure a bit of Perspex would have done the job fella. Prisons are hardly overcome by 4 year old kids dragging their degenerate parents out of prison. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A silverback gorilla is not a cuddly animal and it was dragging the child around the enclosure. The gorilla represented a major risk to the child. Darts take time to take effect. I agree that the parents are largely responsible for this tragedy but the zoo also has to take some responsibility for an enclosure that could be penetrated from the outside. The zoo did the only thing that was appropriate in the circumstances. Blame is not a word I chose to use.
They should have shot the kid and the mother! There are loads of unwanted kids about but a good silverback is a beautiful and rare beast!
All sounds like monkey business to me? They should have left the gorilla to bring up the boy - probably wouldn't over feed him with crap food like mum has done to herself
sad situation sad that the parents had to go through this sad the gorilla was killed but as said the enclosure could have been better and the parents could have had a better eye on there kid so there is the lesson folks go take your kids to watch bike racing
What's the plan, get your kid to crawl into the paddock and crawl in the way of Chaz's SBK so they shoot Chaz and you get the bike? [emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I admit I'd greatly prefer it if humans were culled rather than gorillas. Humans are a pest species and gorillas are not, but unfortunately the world is far from ideal. There probably isn't a right answer. Not from me anyway, I wasn't there. Though I'm more inclined to trust the judgement of a professional primate keeper than a bunch of overweight urban critter huggers who probably don't know much about anything except how to protest about things. My instinct says I wouldn't have darted in that situation. It would probably have enraged the animal. If it had been darted and had killed the child in a fury I wonder what line the protesters would have taken then?
I don't know. Gorillas have terrible table manners and they fart constantly. Oh hang on.. Yeah OK maybe you're right.
If one is looking for a scapegoat...blame the human race for incarcerating a beautiful wild beast that has done nothing to deserve its fate and is only there for "our" selfish pleasure.
