Gorilla shot and killed after grabbing four-year-old

[LONDONER]

It would be (albeit idealistic in concept) better to focus resources and time in protecting and raising these animals in their own environments, in reservations protected by human staff but otherwise free of human intervention, so that one day they can be set loose on their proper habitat. The task here would be simply to assure reproduction and survival of the offspring in order to keep the species going. This would be done in collaboration with the local governments with some UN-based entity overseeing the process. Something like this is done on a small scale already. But keeping them in captivity, even when treated good, is counter productive.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, the saying goes.

There are conservation projects ongoing in Africa but they are constantly being thwarted by poachers and that's why in the wild there are now fewer than 700 golillas. Conservation in their natural habitat just isn't working and will nevef work while so many African Government officials are corrupt. and turn a blind eye or actually participate in the slaughter of these animals..

[LONDONER]

Here's more on the story:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morn...nl_rainbow

[himself]

I haven't read much about this. Of course, the parents are partly to blame but losing your child doesn't make you a crappy parent. It's easy to get distracted for a moment. I know it's probably especially important to keep an eye on your children at the zoo but, in my experience, it's hard to control your mind - even if I try to pay attention to something, I just get swept away by some other thought and suddenly it's 5 minutes later and I don't know what's going on. A crappy parent would let their child run around, unsupervised but even competent parents can be guilty of momentary lapses that can have big consequences.

It is a shame that the gorilla got killed but if the gorilla had killed the child, it would probably be terrible for the zoo. I think it would have been a huge risk for the zoo to just wait and see what the gorilla wanted to do with the child. Of course, the parents would probably be upset if the gorilla had killed their child so it would be a bit shit for them, too, I suppose.

More careful parenting would have prevented this but, in other cases, when older people (teenagers / adults) try to get into the enclosures, maybe clear warnings about the consequences would be a deterrent. I'm not talking about the risk of death because I'm sure most people know about the risks. I mean clearer warnings about the effects of doing so on the animals. If you want to kill yourself or risk your life, do something else, e.g. overdose, play with matches, etc.

[LONDONER]

Jane Goodall's opinion:

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/jane-goodall-s...16216.html

[havikryan]

Should've used sleeping darts and risk the child dying, the gorilla is way more valuable then 1 human child

[Cuddly]

Should've used sleeping darts and risk the child dying, the gorilla is way more valuable then 1 human child

In numbers, yeah.

But!

If my dog got attacked by a unicorn in my garden I'd still kill the unicorn to save my dog, if I had to. Eventhough there are millions of dogs and zero unicorns.

[LONDONER]

It's been reported on the news that the Cincinnati police are investigating the parents of the child for possible child neglect.

[matty7]

they had various experts on UK tv who detailed 5 other times in recent years where children ended up in a gorilla enclosure - all 5 were unharmed by the animal themselves - one was even taken by the gorilla to the feeding hatch and placed their by the Gorilla for the keepers to collect , These are not carnivores as one expert declared !!! its not as if it entered the lions den .
MY next statement may piss of my American buddy's here but I have to say it - There you go again with the guns having to shoot something first and ask questions later (a zoo that houses gorillas with specialized keepers should know that this has happened before and no harm came to the child - there was no need to kill the animal.

My last statement is this ,THE GORILLA WAS DOING A BETTER JOB OF CARING FOR THE CHILD THAN THE BLOODY PARENTS !!

[Beaux]

they had various experts on UK tv who detailed 5 other times in recent years where children ended up in a gorilla enclosure - all 5 were unharmed by the animal themselves - one was even taken by the gorilla to the feeding hatch and placed their by the Gorilla for the keepers to collect , These are not carnivores as one expert declared !!! its not as if it entered the lions den .
MY next statement may piss of my American buddy's here but I have to say it - There you go again with the guns having to shoot something first and ask questions later (a zoo that houses gorillas with specialized keepers should know that this has happened before and no harm came to the child - there was no need to kill the animal.

My last statement is this ,THE GORILLA WAS DOING A BETTER JOB OF CARING FOR THE CHILD THAN THE BLOODY PARENTS !!

Your statement doesn't piss off any Americans that I know,quite the contrary in fact! The vast majority of people I know and communicate with lay the blame squarely at the feet of the mother.
Personally, I don't think they should have shot the gorilla at all.
First, they should have tried to entice him away from the child with offers of treats, and only after all other options had failed, they should have used a tranquilizer gun. If the kid got killed, so be it.

~Beaux

[Pix]

And since the mother thanked God (the ultimate babysitter) for the safety of her child, then she should've been fine with options other than shooting the gorilla outright as well, since God had her back. Even if the child did die, then it would be part of "God's mysterious plan."