Jeff Corwin reminds parents 'zoos aren't your babysitter'

Harambe.
(Image credit: Facebook.com/cincinnatizoo)

Animal expert and conservationist Jeff Corwin doesn't want another incident like the killing of Harambe the gorilla to happen again, and he's reminding parents that anytime their children are around wild animals, they need to be alert.

"Zoos aren't your babysitter," he told Fox 25. "Take a break from the cellphone, the selfie stick, and the texting. Connect with your children. Be responsible for your children. I don't think it happened in seconds or minutes. I think this took time for this kid, this little boy, to find himself in that situation. Ultimately, it's the gorilla that's paid the price."

On Saturday, a 4-year-old boy entered the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla enclosure, and Harambe, a 17-year-old, 400-pound silverback gorilla, pulled him. Harambe was shot and killed, with zoo officials calling that a necessary step save the child. The killing of the endangered gorilla triggered outrage from the public, with many asking why an adult wasn't paying enough attention to stop the boy from making his way into the enclosure. Corwin told CNN people have "a responsibility. We have so many examples where people don't employ common sense in a national park, trying to take a picture next to a bison, a wild animal. Well, guess who gets sued, the national park, when things go awry."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.