With the recent uproar on Harambe, the endangered gorilla who had to be killed in order to save the life of a little boy who fell into the enclosure, this will be my final posting with a compiled list of articles of what I have read so far.
So many what ifs, whys, could haves, would haves...
It's sad that a gorilla had to be killed. Those who have been asking why not tranquilize? Well, it takes time to go into effect with a big sized gorilla and might make the gorilla agitated and provoked it to hurt the child. If it works, it might cause gorilla to faint on top/squashed the child. Too high dose might killed the gorilla instantly. (Source: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/05/29/gorilla-shot-at-zoo/)
There is also explanation from an experienced person who has worked with many gorillas before on why the zookeepers did not use treats or distract the gorilla to get the child back. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1203379103029809&set=a.136952966339100.18704.100000731932790&type=3&pnref=story)
You should also read what has Harambe's previous caretaker said of him as I personally think he knows the gorilla way better than any other experts out there who has never spent time with Harambe (Source: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/31/harambes-caretaker-he-like-one-my-sons/85216356/)
It's sad that the child can breached through the barriers. The boy went over a stainless steel rail that's a little more than 3 feet high, with vertical bars every eight feet. He made his way through the bushes to the edge of the moat, a distance of approximately 4 feet. From there, he dropped 15 feet to the moat, into a foot and a half of water. (Source: http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/30/usda-review-gorillas-death-zoo-look-safety-exhibits/85165924/)
Those who said the gorilla is dragging the child across the water, how else do you expect a wild animal to move a child? Of course we don't get to see the whole 10 mins video but based on the videos I've seen, the gorilla is protecting the child from the commotion outside. Of course, I am no expert at all so feel free to disagree with my observations.
If the gorilla wants to hurt the child, it would've done so when the child fell into its enclosure, breaching its territory, not taking 10 minutes ordeal to be killed in the end. Apparently gorillas will display signs of attack when they feel threatened or provoked which was not shown when it approached the child. (Source: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/technology/science/animal-behaviour-expert-says-silverback-gorilla-harambe-was-not-trying-to-harm-defenceless-child/news-story/94d83332fbb86df234989f66ae621d67)
Parents, we all know, none of us are perfect. We don't and can't 100% watch after our kiddos all at once, but we can try to minimize any untoward incidents and make sure that while any outing remains a fun and happy one for the family, we also have to be aware of our surroundings as well.
Teach your child about endangered species, zoos, conservation efforts, what to do when you are out and about, dangers and risks etc.
Everyone, a beautiful endangered animal is gone. It will never be brought back to life again. Let's learn from this and double/triple up our watch over our kiddos and others as well, if you happened to observe any children during your outing who are acting very curious and wanting to observe things closer, alert the caretakers of the child.
An article to remind us that social media shaming won't bring back Harambe... http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/nation-now/2016/05/30/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-harambe-death-child-parents-shaming-column/85165572/
I'm also sharing these articles with you for some real-life events:
A bit more info about the boy's mother and I really pitied those on FB having same names as her. (Source: http://heavy.com/news/2016/05/michelle-gregg-cincinnati-zoo-mother-mom-name-gorilla-harambe-facebook-photos-son-petition/)
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