I'm sure by now most of us know, or have heard, about the crocodile that dragged and mauled a child at a Disney resort, in which the outcome was the death of the child. In response, Disney put up temporary posts and signs warning about the wildlife in the area and removed their one liner, "watch your children, or the crocodiles will," from one of their attractions. But why weren't these signs already posted? Why is there not some kind of net or barrier to protect people on the beach? Why is it always after a tragedy that we decide other/more precautions need to be taken? While I will commend Disney for taking responsibility and the proper steps moving forward, I will also look at them in disappointment for allowing this to happen. That family lost their two-year-old during what was suppose to be an enjoyable and everlasting memory.
Now lets take a few steps back and revisit Harambe, the silverback gorilla shot and killed at the Cincinnati zoo after a boy fell into the enclosure. I'm not going to point fingers and say who was to blame for this specific incident or my thoughts on what could've/should've been done, but I will say, in general, that zoos should take responsibility for their actions. Responsibility is not waiting for someone to get into an enclosure and killing a member of your "family." No, responsibility is making sure that it's damn near impossible for visitors to get into an enclosure. A trench and a few fences are not enough, as seen from the Harambe incident. But this seems to be the general format for most zoos and a majority of their outside enclosures as it "maximizes" safety and viewing pleasure. While some do take an extra step and erect some sort of barrier of separation, most do not. Trying to make a profit while also increasing visitor experience shouldn't come at the cost of visitor-and-animal safety.
Zoo often take an overview approach as well. Have an animal's enclosure be set lower in the ground so that visitors can peer down into it. What's the worse that could go wrong? It's not like it's possible for someone to fall in or even, god forbid, climb into. No, no, no! No extra precautions are needed. That is a sad fact that a Chilean zoo found to be quite wrong as a suicidal man climbed into their lion enclosure, stripped naked, and provoked the lion into attack him.While the zoo did initially try other methods to deter the lions they ultimately had to be put down in order to save the man. Here is another case in which I won't argue the politics, which pertain to mental health and the value of our life compared to nonhuman lives. What I will say, is that I don't understand how this was not taken more seriously when the zoo was constructed. I understand that these situations are not probably, but they are still quite plausible and the best way to nip a bud is to prevent it before it starts.
I'm not asking anyone or business/practice to be perfect. I'm just asking that we learn from our mistakes as we move forward so that the animals that coexist with us in this world aren't put at risk as well as ourselves.
