This past week, news speed quickly about the death of Harambe, a beloved 450-pound gorilla at the Cincinnatti Zoo. Several minutes after a four-year-old child fell into the exhibit in which Harambe lived, zoo keepers took action and fatally shot the gorilla.

Harambe spent nearly thirty minutes dragging the child through water, making him look like a rag doll. Known to be protective animals, they are quick to snap and he could have become more violent with the child at any time.

The child's mother tried to stay calm and keep her child calm by yelling, "Don't worry, honey. Mommy's here, you're okay!" But the screams from the bystanders made Harambe take the young boy with him to the other side of the exhibit, where they could barely be seen.

Many people are upset over Harambe's death. Why didn't they use tranquilizers to relax the gorilla and carefully separate him from the child? Why didn't they take more time to decide on which course of action to take? Why did Harambe have to die?

As sad as Harambe's death is, I believe the zookeepers made the right decision. Harambe, by nature, is a protective and aggressive animal. He may not have been violent with the zookeepers, but once this child entered his territory, he had to protect himself and his family. Thankfully, the child was not seriously injured (the worst of his injuries is a concussion), but if the zookeepers had taken more time to contemplate their actions, or had ultimately used a tranquilizer, it could have possibly upset Harmabe and made him agitated and aggressive. Due to Harambe's size and incredible strength, this most likely would have resulted in serious injury or death for the boy.

It's important to try and save our endangered animals, but when a child's life is in danger, we must protect our own. It's up to parents to keep an eye on their children and for zoos to create safer barriers around the exhibits so accidents like this don't happen.