THE family of a four-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure
resulting in the ape being shot dead could face prosecution.
The ‘reckless’ parents faced a growing public backlash last night over the
endangered ape’s “senseless murder” when their child was able to climb
through a fence and fall 12ft into the primate’s pen.
Police in Cincinnati confirmed they could face criminal charges after the
animal was blasted to death by zookeepers fearing for the boy’s life.
A statement from the unnamed family read: “We are so thankful to the Lord that
our child is safe. He is home and doing just fine. We extend our heartfelt
thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff.
“We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are
grieving the loss of their gorilla. We hope that you will respect our
privacy at this time.”
“Trigger-happy” zookeepers were also criticised for shooting dead 28st Harambe
even though experts said he was not a threat to the boy, thought to be
called Isaiah.
The man who helped raise Harambe today spoke of his grief.
Jerry Stones, 74, said: “An old man can cry, too. He was a special guy in my
life. Harambe was my heart. It’s like losing a member of the family.
“I raised him from a baby, he was a sweet cute little guy. He grew up to be a
pretty, beautiful male. He was very intelligent. Very, very intelligent.
“His mind was going constantly. He was just such a sharp character.”
Dramatic video footage showed the beast picking up the lad and dragging him
through water as witnesses — including the boy’s mum — screamed at the Ohio
zoo.
But it was claimed the gorilla, who turned 17 on Friday, was simply trying to
protect him. There was also growing outrage at how the boy, who begged his
mum to let him into the enclosure, was allowed to fall through railings.
Animal lovers slammed zoo chiefs for their decision to kill Harambe — who had
the child huddled between his legs when he was killed.
One Twitter used wrote: “If Harambe was going to injure or kill the
child, he would have done so. He was protecting/rescuing. Senseless murder
of an animal.”
The Hashtag #RIPHarambe was trending on Twitter today and more than 2,000 had
liked the Facebook page Justice for Harambe.
Bob Owens said: “Cincinnati Zoo shot Harambe fearing a lawsuit IF Harambe
suddenly turned violent. This was bull****. Parents should be charged.”
Another wrote: “So a beautiful, innocent gorilla has to die because neglectful
parents can’t control their kids? Mankind sucks.”
The zoo defended it actions, saying staff reacted to a “life-threatening
situation” and maintained a tranquiliser would not have had a quick
enough effect.
During the ordeal, the boy’s mum could he heard to shout: “Mummy’s right
here. Isaiah, be calm. Mummy loves you.”
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Witness Kim O’Connor claimed she heard the boy say he wanted to get into the
water surrounding Harambe’s pen.
It was claimed his mother replied: “No, you’re not, no, you’re not.”
It is unclear how the boy slipped into the enclosure.
The witness added panicked bystanders may have aggravated the tense situation.
She said: “I don’t know if the screaming did it or too many people
hanging on the edge, if he thought we were coming in, but then he pulled the
boy down away further from the big group.”
The lad was rushed to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital but escaped without
serious injury and is expected to make a full recovery.
Officials said three gorillas were in the enclosure as the boy fell in on
Saturday but two females were called out immediately.
At one point it looks like the boy tries to get away before getting pulled
back.
Keepers killed the western lowland gorilla after 15 minutes.
Harambe then picked up the boy and dragged him along the moat while people
shouted “no, no!” and “call 911”.
Zoo director Thane Maynard said: “[The officials] made a tough choice and
they made the right choice because they saved that little boy’s life. It
could have been very bad.”
Maynard added it was “a very sad day for the zoo”.
He went on to claim that a tranquiliser would not have had a quick enough
effect and could have endangered the boy’s life.
But social media commenters reacted with fury to the decision to kill the
majestic ape.
Facebook user Jackie Lynn wrote: “He didn’t look vicious to me. Harambe was
just a gorilla doing gorilla things.
“I can’t imagine the pain the other female gorillas are faced with. They need
a strong male in their habitat to keep order.”
Another wrote on the Justice for Harambe Facebook page: “Glad the child is
okay, but this beautiful animal DID NOT HAVE TO DIE!”
And Sheila Katko said: “I don’t see why they could not use tranquilizer rather
than kill this beautiful creature.”
Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, was born in captivity and moved to the
Ohio zoo in 2014.
He had turned 17 yesterday, with the zoo posting a birthday message on its
Facebook page.
The species is native to the dense forests of central Africa where they are
believed to number around 100,000.
Ian Redmond, boss of the Ape Alliance, said: “He pulled the child through the
water of the moat, held his hand gently, stood him up and adjusted his
clothing.
“There was nothing in the video that suggested the child was in a
life-threatening situation.”
Jillian Miller, of The Gorilla Organization, said: “It looks to me like it was
protecting the child. Maybe a keeper should have tried to talk to it.” She
also demanded an inquiry, adding: “How on earth was the child allowed to
make it into the enclosure?”
Kim O’Connor, who filmed the incident, claimed the lad was begging to go in
beforehand. She said: “He had been talking about wanting to get in the
water. The mother’s like, ‘No, you’re not’.”
He is said to have serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Conservationists consider the apes to be critically endangered.
The incident comes just days after two
lions were killed as they mauled a man who entered their pen at a
Chilean zoo in an apparent suicide attempt.
The victim was left with “grave” injuries after the incident at the
Santiago wildlife park.
A gorilla shot to worldwide fame in 1986 after saving a boy who fell into his
enclosure at Jersey Zoo.
Silverback Jambo protected the unconscious Levan Merritt from his fellow
gorillas, cradling the five-year-old and allowing rescuers to remove the boy
from the pen.
Harambe was born in captivity in Texas before moving to Cincinnati last year.
Last week the zoo asked the public to wish him a happy 17th birthday on
Facebook.
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