The first time I heard about Harambe was on Facebook. This is likely not shocking. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what happened at The Cincinnati Zoo. You may have read one or one-hundred articles already. But this issue is still relevant. Especially since this side has not yet been written.
Who should be blamed?
"For a child to have climbed into the exhibit, enough to be touched by a gorilla, is a result of horrible parenting and negligence."
"Had the zoo made sure the exhibit was safe and foolproof, then Harambe could have been spared an unjust murder."
Who should be saved?
"It is a dangerous flaw in society when we start to put animal's lives as more important than people's."
"Would they have been OK with the death of a small child if it meant that Harambe would have lived?"
Was the right decision made?
"Yes, maybe the gorilla was trying to protect the kid in his own way, but the fact is that Harambe was a giant, 400-pound gorilla."
"Since the boy wasn't killed, I don't think the gorilla should have been either."
Was the right story given fame?
"Are we really more concerned about the death of a gorilla at a zoo or the countless individuals shot, injured and killed across our country over a holiday weekend."
"We are more worried about a mother's ability to care for her child than we are a veteran who is being denied care."
It is not important whether you agree or disagree with these claims. It is not important whether I do either. It already happened. It is in the past. We live in the present. We shape the future. So why not prevent this situation from occurring ever again?
Stop searching for punishments. Stop looking for answers. Stop debating about ethics. Stop debating about media. Ask the real questions — Where were the secondary barriers to make it impossible for someone to enter a dangerous animal enclosure? Why were people not evacuated from the observation platform to prevent agitation? Where was Harambe's keeper?
