“We’d make the same decision" was the statement given by the director of the Cincinnati Zoo after crisis broke out when a four-year-old boy climbed over a fence and fell into a gorilla exhibit last Saturday. For ten minutes, a 450-pound silverback gorilla dragged the child through a moat, running its head into the metal wall several times. While it’s clear that drastic action needed to be taken in an effort to save the toddler’s life, many were outraged by the zoo’s decision to shoot and kill the 17-year-old gorilla. Several blamed the mother’s negligence in not looking after the child, while others questioned whether or not the gorilla really had to die. Perhaps the most shocking thing is the fact that many asked that the Cincinnati Zoo face criminal charges for the “murder” of the rare gorilla. That said, it is situations much like this one that make me wonder if we really care about the life of an animal over the life of a human being. Or maybe it’s more due to the fact that we simply can’t resist a good Internet debate. Regardless, here are my two cents on the matter and why I fully back the zoo’s decision.

I am just going to begin by saying that this incident has nothing to do with a mother’s negligence or poor parenting, but animal life versus human life. More specifically, animal life in comparison to a child’s life. Yes, it is true that the mother of the little boy should have been more aware, but that is beside the point. The point is that this nearly tragic event happened and the zoo was forced to make a quick, difficult decision. Now, many animal rights activists are even demanding that the zoo be charged for killing Harambe, the gorilla. That is ridiculous! Now, I am not saying that we should not care that an endangered animal was killed as it is truly heartbreaking that the gorilla had to die. But we cannot let ourselves be blind and not consider the fact that a child’s life was at stake. The truth is, the 450-pound gorilla could have crushed the little boy’s skull in an instant. After all, silverback gorillas actually have enough strength and power to crush a coconut in the palm of their hand. In addition, tranquilizers would have not been effective quickly enough to sedate the beast and get the child to safety. Instead, tranquilizers would have further agitated the gorilla, further putting the boy at risk.

This brings me to the internet responses as more people than not believed that there was no reason for Harambe to be killed. Some even went as far as blaming the child for what happened. Let’s think for a moment: Say the zoo had taken more care to ensure the safety of the gorilla. Say they cautiously approached the situation, allowing the gorilla more time and opportunity to hurt the three year old boy. Say the little boy was actually the one who died that day. Now, I can imagine the charges and lawsuit against the zoo in the case of the boy’s death would have been far messier and more detrimental to the zoo’s integrity. My opinion is that the choice to kill the gorilla to ensure the safety of a child was the right one. When it comes to young lives and the life of a human in general, there should be no question in the event of a life and death decision. I personally love animals and I am sad whenever I have heard that an animal is either hurt or killed. But if an animal could be a potential threat to a person, I would be okay with sacrificing the animal in order to ensure that person’s safety.

An animal is an animal and though they should be respected and not abused (as I believe it is our duty to watch over all of God’s beautiful creatures), they do not know any better. They act on instinct, the do not have morals or a conscience. Animals cannot make ethical decisions or communicate with words. Again, it is horrible that a rare gorilla had to be killed at the Cincinnati Zoo that day, but let us not ignore the fact that the real tragedy that could have been was the one that was avoided. Despite such an unfortunate incident, a child’s life was saved. Not only that, the child did not receive any terribly critical injuries. I personally have a lot of respect for the Cincinnati Zoo and am thankful for the fast actions of the response team. For when it comes to the life of children and people, a human’s life should come first and foremost no matter what.