US gorilla killing: no charges to be brought against boy’s mother



CINCINNATI: -- No charges will be brought against the mother of a three-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure in a US zoo.

An Ohio prosecutor said the woman was not to blame for the boy climbing through the fence at Cincinnati Zoo.

He then fell and seemed to be dragged across a moat by a gorilla weighing more than 400 lbs (over 180 kg).

“She was being attentive to her children by all witness accounts and the three-year-old just scampered off. I’m glad to see that the zoo has changed the border around this encampment to try to prevent, they did some remedial work to prevent, this from happening again,” Hamilton County prosecutor, Joseph Deters told the press.

Zoo Director Thanke Maynard said the Dangerous Animal Response team judged the situation life threatening and Harambe the 17-year-old gorilla was shot dead.

The decision to kill, rather than tranquilise, sparked international uproar and heated debates over who should be held accountable for the incident.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-06-07

Nobody seems to be laying blame on the zoo for having a gorilla in a cage that can be accessed by a child! The shooter is to blame, the mother is to blame! What about the zoo?

Makes sense; the only thing (and in the US everything is possible) she might be booked is "involuntary ape shooting by third party". Chances are, that this particular circumstance is not covered (yet) and hence the file can be closed over this sad story. Yes, the ape could have been tranquillised instead of shot, the mother could have ensured the toddler ............... could, could, could.

I regret the fact that this ape lost his life. Having said that I wonder what I would have done in the same situation? And if you are honest with yourself you might wonder yourself and - to be 100% we all might have shot the ape as well.

In a similar incident years ago things worked out quite differently.

Binti Jua (born March 17, 1988) is a female western lowland gorilla in the Brookfield Zoo, in Brookfield, Illinois, outside of Chicago. She was involved in an incident in 1996, in which she tended to a three-year-old boy who had fallen into her enclosure.

On August 16, 1996, when Binti Jua was eight years old, a three-year-old boy climbed the wall around the gorilla exhibit and fell 18 feet into the gorilla enclosure below, suffering a broken hand and a large gash on the side of his face.

Binti walked towards the unconscious boy while spectators screamed. Binti cradled the child and laid him down when she heard her shift door open to her downstairs enclosure. Her 17-month-old baby, Koola, clutched her back throughout the incident. The boy spent four days in the hospital and recovered fully. Binti received international media attention from this incident, and for many months afterwards, received special treats and food from zoo staffers, and much attention from visitors.

A troll post and replies have been removed

The only to be blamed is the zoo for not having proper double fences...

Makes sense; the only thing (and in the US everything is possible) she might be booked is "involuntary ape shooting by third party". Chances are, that this particular circumstance is not covered (yet) and hence the file can be closed over this sad story. Yes, the ape could have been tranquillised instead of shot, the mother could have ensured the toddler ............... could, could, could.

I regret the fact that this ape lost his life. Having said that I wonder what I would have done in the same situation? And if you are honest with yourself you might wonder yourself and - to be 100% we all might have shot the ape as well. [/

Makes sense; the only thing (and in the US everything is possible) she might be booked is "involuntary ape shooting by third party". Chances are, that this particular circumstance is not covered (yet) and hence the file can be closed over this sad story. Yes, the ape could have been tranquillised instead of shot, the mother could have ensured the toddler ............... could, could, could.

I regret the fact that this ape lost his life. Having said that I wonder what I would have done in the same situation? And if you are honest with yourself you might wonder yourself and - to be 100% we all might have shot the ape as well.

The gorilla could not have been tranquilized because first of all, it would have taken time for the tranquilizer to take effect during which it could've killed the boy, and secondly the gorilla could've collapsed onto the boy effectively crushing or drowning him. Hence they shot it!

What a waste of life! I blame the zoo for making access possible in the first place and the mother for not watching her kid, and she and the zoo should be held responsible!

Dreadful. The zoo has shown itself to be incapable of acting in the best interests of the critically endangered species in its care: on behalf of the rest of the world. Consequently the remains animals should be transferred forthwith to an alternative zoo. The mother should be required to undergo some parenting training. Her inability to look after the child is largely responsible for this event.

The Uncle says she should be prosecuted >https://youtu.be/5qzRSU2NWmE?t=23