Humans are curious. We strive to learn more about the world around us and close observation seems to be the most satisfying cure. But at what cost does this need of greater knowledge come? The invaluable price of a life, as history has shown. From Shamu at SeaWorld to the recent shooting of Harambe, a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, there are several incidents that prove humans are not apt in the business of caring for wild animals for the purpose of entertainment.
In the case of Harambe, a 17-year-old male Western lowland gorilla, his sudden death looks unjust. On the fateful day of his death, Harambe came in close contact with a 4-year-old boy who had somehow snuck away from his mother, went under a gate and tumbled into a ditch inside the open enclosure. The gorilla repeatedly grabbed the boy at first, causing him no harm, but suddenly picked the boy up and leaped off with him. Because he’s a gorilla. This continued on for over 10 minutes until zoo officials decided to shoot Harambe down to avoid a “life-threatening” situation.
It’s understandable that the increased shouts and screams from the scared crowd may have stimulated an aggressive reaction in the gorilla, and the unpredictability of such a strong animal entices the use of lethal weapons. The blame could rest on anyone. Especially the momentarily distracted mother, who let her child slip away. CPS has been called for less.
However, this isn’t a finger-pointing game to find who’s the most responsible. This incident stands as a warning. We need to shut down our zoos. It’s slavery, plain and simple. Stripping wild animals from their homeland and bringing them to the U.S. for “protection” seems like a lame excuse to keep revenue dollars flowing into Uncle Sam’s pocket. It’s crazy, we’ll do it for a lion, but screw those Syrians...right? Exotic animals equal big cha-ching...refugees, not so much.
Removing wild animals from their country of origin and placing them into a temperature-controlled simulation home is not the answer, and it’s far from the only one. Baby animals born in captivity are not capable of caring for themselves in the actual wild, and this is only a product of their situation. We can talk about the institutionalism of certain races of people, but when it comes to animals, apparently that’s too much of a stretch. These animals were never made to live this way. We’ve forced them to.
Animals are a part of nature. They eat, they fight, they wane in number, they overpopulate, they die. Circle of life. If we as humans decide to put ourselves into this circle, we must be ready and prepared to face the consequences. And yes, those consequences include risking your child's life at a gorilla exhibit because you couldn’t keep control of them for five whole minutes.
We must also respect the natural born freedom of wild animals. We don’t own them. They are not ornate objects to speculate and gawk at. We place six feet of glass and large gates between ourselves and zoo exhibits because we know the danger of being too close. There’s the unpredictability of wild animals, the impossibility of containment without force. Yet we stick them in cages. And when they act out, we act surprised. And they lose their lives. They’re “put down” because they’re too dangerous (any of this ringing a bell?).
Basically, zoos need to be outlawed. Wild animals should only ever be preserved in their natural habitats. Last I checked, there aren’t any zebras wandering the streets of Cincinnati naturally. They don’t belong here.
What’s even more upsetting, yet at the same time amusing, is the bond the black community has been able to build with this gorilla off the similarities. We feel you, Harambe. You were taken from your land and not shown new ways of living, your offspring were forced to be raised in a confusing and different reality than you existed in. As a result, they became institutionalized, and you knew in the deep of your heart they would never survive the real world because of it. And in one moment of your young life, the social perception of a big, black, intimidating gorilla caused your immediate downfall when a white kid stumbled into your house. And you got shot. Bro...we feel you.
So, let Harambe be the last of the fatal shootings and euthanizations. Let him be the last of captive wild animals being forced to stand as entertainment. Let him be the last, and hopefully a catalyst into a better system for wild animals everywhere.
