Criminal charges may be brought against the parents of a four-year-old child who climbed into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo, in Ohio, forcing staff to shoot and kill a male silverback.
Harambe, the 17-year-old 400lb animal, was shot after authorities were unable to rescue the boy and the ape became agitated.
Video footage shows Harambe dragging the unnamed child by his foot through water in the enclosure.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"95504","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Thane Maynard, the zoo's director, said they had no other choice but to put the gorilla down. "This child was being dragged around and his head was banging on the concrete," he said.
Rejecting claims that the gorilla was trying to protect the child, Maynard said: "This was not a gentle thing."
He added: "The risk was down to the power of the animal, his strength," saying that Harambe could crush a coconut with one hand.
Staff at the zoo have been in tears, he said, despite the messages of support.
Animal activists and campaigners across the world have criticised the zoo's actions, with more than 70,000 petitioners signing up to a campaign on Change.org calling for the parents to be investigated.
"This beautiful gorilla lost his life because the boy's parents did not keep a closer watch on the child. We the undersigned believe that the child would not have been able to enter the enclosure under proper parental supervision," it says.
"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."
Cincinnati police said the parents have not been charged, but that charges could eventually be sought by the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney, according to The Independent.
The child's mother has rejected claims that her negligence lead to the animal's death.
"As a society, we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me, I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen," she said in a deleted Facebook post, which The Guardian has confirmed was genuine.
-
Political cartoons for January 28Cartoons Wednesday's political cartoons include slipping in the polls, Kristi Noem in trouble, and ICE in the classroom
-
The Week contest: How now, smart cow?Puzzles and Quizzes
-
The UK’s supposed Christian revivalThe Explainer Research has shown that claims of increased church attendance, particularly among young people, ‘may be misleading’
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
