Unless you live under a (very large) rock, then you’ve probably heard about the Cincinnati Zoo incident where a young boy crawled into the gorilla enclosure, had an encounter with the seventeen year old male silverback Harambe, which resulted in zookeepers fatally shooting Harambe, and the boy being rescued uninjured.
Since this event occurred on May 28, the news, internet and social media has exploded. It appears everyone is tossing their opinion in; that the parents were neglectful, the zookeepers didn’t have to shoot him, the gorilla was not going to harm him etc.
But wait, I seem to have forgotten, are you a zoologist? No? Are you an expert, mistake free parent of multiple children? Oh not that either? Well then you must be a silverback gorilla, right? Nope, not that because as Facebook users keep reminding us, they are endangered!
So, why does everyone feel compelled to keep judging everyone involved in this story? I heard on the radio someone say “it’s tragic, the only innocent party is the gorilla and he’s the one dead.” I agree. But. We have to put this in perspective. Yes, the parents should have been watching the child better. Yes, the zoo should have better safety precautions. But when a kid, who is even too young to read, falls into an enclosure with a dangerous, 400 pound animal, you have to do what is necessary to save him.
If you’re asking whether the measures they took were necessary, well you’re asking the wrong person. Even as a big wildlife fan, my formal education doesn’t go much beyond The Wild Thornberries and Animal Planet. Of course it’s upsetting to see the gorilla killed, but what if he had killed the child? Then what would everyone be saying? I’m sure the zookeeper who had to be the one to shoot him is struggling enough with the situation without the unwarranted criticism from Twitter fanatics.
And to everyone judging the parents: of course they most definitely could have been watching the boy better. And everyone is saying this would never happen to their child. And I am sure they’re right. But I bet this mother never thought it would happen either. Just like the mother who never thought her kid would get kidnapped walking back from the bus stop, or the mother who thought she had taught her child about drinking and driving. No one is perfect, get over it.
If you want to be upset, I have some advice: don’t go to the zoo. On a recent trip to San Diego, we chose to forgo Sea World after watching Blackfish. Simple. No complaints. And we saved money! Or you could donate to the World Wildlife Foundation to help save gorillas like Harambe in the wild. You can also write to government and world leaders about what can be done for these animals. Sure you have freedom of speech, but you don’t have to use it to bash other people.
At this point, there are only so few things we, those not involved in the incident, can do.
1. Make sure to keep an extra eye on young children.
2. Remember that all animals deserve respect.
3. Don’t be so quick to judge others. In a world full of zookeepers, gorillas and frantic parents, just be you
