Online Petition Seeks Justice After Gorilla's Death in Cincinnati Zoo
It was supposed to be just another day in his life at the zoo, but little did the 17-year-old Harambe, a western lowland gorilla at the Cincinnati zoo, know that it would be his last due to an unfortunate incident involving a young visitor.
The 450-pound gorilla was shot dead after a boy was able to breach the barrier of the exhibit and fell into a moat. The response team deemed the situation dangerous for the boy and had to make a tough choice between the lives of the two.
The news of the killing sparked outrage with many critics expressing their anger and dismay over the decision of the response team to end the life of Harambe. The incident also prompted an online petition demanding justice for the poor gorilla citing lack of supervision from the parents' part.
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"It is believed that the situation was caused by parental negligence and the zoo is not responsible for the child's injuries and possible trauma," the online petition reads. "We the undersigned want the parents to be held accountable for the lack of supervision and negligence that caused Harambe to lose his life. We the undersigned feel the child's safety is paramount in this situation."
According to the online petition, started by Sheila Hurt and has close to 90,000 supporters as of this writing, there are some witnesses who heard that the child was telling his mother that he'd be going into the moat and was seen making an effort to go over the barrier. The petitioners claim that the parents should have acted accordingly at that very instance, had there not been negligence on their part.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden released a statement, through its Facebook page, expressing their grief over the loss of Harambe. They said that they were "devastated" and they are still mourning the death of the beloved animal.
"We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child's life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team," said Zoo Director Thane Maynard. We're touched by the outpouring of support from the community and our members who loved Harambe."
The zoo officials also mentioned that the barrier, which was in place to keep the visitors within a safe distance from the animals, has been effective since the Gorilla World first opened to the public in 1978. They emphasized that this was the first time such a breach took place and that the zoo undergoes regular inspection from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
But, while they assured the public that the safety of the visitors and the animals is their utmost priority, they also said that a study will be conducted regarding the incident to improve the safety standard.
Currently, there are eight other western lowland gorillas in captivity at the zoo. The number of this type of gorillas stands at about 175,000. They are considered critically-endangered in the wild, primarily, because of the destruction of their natural habitat, according to the Cincinnati Zoo.
