Mahatma Gandhi once proclaimed, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” In the United States of America, it has been proven time and time again that some animals, such as our beloved cats and dogs are propelled on a pedestal where as others, such as farm and zoo animals, are looked down upon. It seems as though our furry companion animals are treated like royalty and all others are placed into a category of pariahs, or undesirables. Are they in fact less important or worthy of our moral consideration than those who we let prance around our house? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, there is a rather jagged divide between those animals we adore and those we view as pests or perhaps even savages.
In college, I took a class entitled Animals and Society where my classmates and I questioned the moral culpability of animals, and their place within a human inhabited world. We took a look at the particular way in which we categorize animals into two basic categories; animals who are our friends, and animals who are not.
Recently, a huge news story broke out about a three-year-old boy who had fallen into the enclosure of a 450 lb gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo. The child had been curious about seeing the monkeys and as his mother turned away to help get her other children situated, he fell in. What happened next was a whirlwind of chaos intertwined with fear, uncertainty and apprehension. Eventually, the gorilla was shot and the little boy was removed from the situation. Okay, I understand that this was a little boy against a fully-grown primate, but resorting to violence probably wasn’t the best way to resolve the issue. I don’t think that somebody could have waltzed into the gorilla’s territory and rescued the child, but there are other means as to resolve the situation rather than ending an innocent creatures life. I understand that even if a tranquilizer had been given, that it would taken time for it to go into effect. I am very aware that it could only have taken mere seconds for Harambe to go from curious ape to merciless killer. I understand that wild animals are unpredictable and that those in power made decisions they felt would lead to the most desirable outcome (the little boy being saved). There are however, countless ways this scenario could have been resolved and sadly, resorting to violence has in turn created more problems and raised questions to be answered or at this point to be left up in the air.
Harambe, the gorilla, noticed the young boy, and I have suspicions that his actions may have been manipulated by the media to appear as though he was harming the child. Please don’t assume that I am trying to claim that the huge ape and his place in this issue should be disregarded. I am not trying to claim that the gorilla acted justly or did the child. No, what I’m trying to discuss is the fact that there are always two sides to a story, and I’m afraid that the American public has chosen to honor the life of the little boy and disregard that of that gorilla.
I am so relieved that the little boy was removed from the scenario and wasn’t physically harmed as a result. Am I happy about that? Of course! What saddens me is this; there’s a happy ending for that little boy and his family, but what about the family of the gorilla? Maybe I’m looking too far into this, but I both agree and disagree with Dr. Seuss in his belief that “a person is a person no matter how small.”
Now, riddle me this. If we treat humans with compassion and respect, why do we not do instill these good feelings upon our furry counterparts? They are living beings as well and just because our level of intelligence, our likes and dislikes, and our passions might differ, at the end of the day we are all God’s creatures.
We all live on this larger earth and have feelings that deserve moral consideration.
On that hot day at the Cincinnati Zoo, a decision was made that would benefit a human, destroy the life of a virtually innocent gorilla and raise questions as well as conflict. I am deeply saddened that we, as humans, resort to violence immediately when realistically it should be handled as a last resort, if that. Removing the child from Harambe’s enclosure, although terrifying and nerve wracking (I can’t even imagine), could have been dealt with and resolved in a much different manner.
So when it comes down to it, who do we favor? Well, as in this case, although one of many, it is quite obvious that the well being of humans will trump that of an animal, regardless of the situation at hand. I fully understand that the child could have been killed, but it seems as though if Harambe had wanted to kill the small boy, that he would have done so immediately. I watched videos of the incident and believe that there is evidence to suggest that the gorilla may have been trying to help the child. At this point, we may discover the answers to our questions but we cannot bring back the life of that beautiful, endangered and ultimately innocent animal.
America, we need to open our eyes and realize that we live in a disjointed world that shouldn’t be. How long will it take for us to realize that it doesn’t matter what we look like; what matters is who we are on the inside despite the variation of external traits we may possess. It’s time to remember who we are and who we can become. Let us change our mindset and become more open and inclusive in those (human and non-human) who we extend our moral consideration and culpability on to.
Maybe, and as animal specialists have concluded, it was best that the Gorilla was to be shot if it meant the child would be saved. When all is said and done, a child has been returned to his family and will go on to live a happy and healthy life. As profound of a decision it may have been and as morally just it may appear upon first glance, that massive gorilla will not return to his family. So, really there isn’t an outcome that can happily accommodate for all parties involved. I don’t think that there is a “best” outcome for the situation. This is still a tragedy despite the little boy reuniting with his family and returning physically unharmed.
Please remember that there are always two sides to a story, and many sides to each individual that graces our planet. Just because some are unable to speak, it does not mean that they are unable to feel and have wishes, wants and desires. Let us open our minds wider and come to the realization that we, humans, are not the only beings who are worthy of our moral consideration.
All living beings are.
