4yo falls into Cincy zoo gorilla enclosure - gorilla shot

[churchmouse]

Lovely how they now released the name of the mom/dad and are highlighting dad's criminal past. No matter that he appears to have changed and is gainfully employed and doing upstanding dad things like taking his kids to the zoo.

The pitch fork/torch venue is now open

 

[HoughMade]

Lovely how they now released the name of the mom/dad and are highlighting dad's criminal past. No matter that he appears to have changed and is gainfully employed and doing upstanding dad things like taking his kids to the zoo.

To release this information and for any outlet to publish it is disgraceful.

 

[Woobie]

To release this information and for any outlet to publish it is disgraceful.

Kick em when they're up, kick em when they're down....Give us dirty laundry

 

[printcraft]

They should have darted the kid.... the gorilla would have lost interest if he wasn't squealing.

and darted the mom for good measure....

 

[PaulF]

They should have darted the kid.... the gorilla would have lost interest if he wasn't squealing.

and darted the mom for good measure....

Nah...should have pushed the mom in as a decoy, THEN they would have been free to rescue the gorilla inimcumbered...


...am I doing this right?

 

[nipprdog]

They should have darted the kid.... the gorilla would have lost interest if he wasn't squealing.

and darted the mom for good measure....

For the win! !

 

[Hookeye]

Disgraceful maybe, but also could be telling of how that family looks at discipline and child rearing.

Kidnapping, gun and drug offenses..................a zoo visit makes him a super parent.

Also appears mom and dad are not married. That might shed some light on the family unit, or not..........the new norm is not to be criticized.

Do wonder about the protest pics......seem to be white folk (maybe most Petards are?).

Wonder how many of them jumped on the BLM crap before...........

SJW and Petards................

Too bad one or a couple of them weren't there to jump in and take the kid away from the gorilla.

 

[Dead Duck]

Disgraceful maybe, but also could be telling of how that family looks at discipline and child rearing.

Kidnapping, gun and drug offenses..................a zoo visit makes him a super parent.

Also appears mom and dad are not married. That might shed some light on the family unit, or not..........the new norm is not to be criticized.

Do wonder about the protest pics......seem to be white folk (maybe most Petards are?).

Wonder how many of them jumped on the BLM crap before...........

SJW and Petards................

Too bad one or a couple of them weren't there to jump in and take the kid away from the gorilla.

This explains why the kid ditched the mom to live with the gorillas.

 

[HoughMade]

Disgraceful maybe, but also could be telling of how that family looks at discipline and child rearing.

Kidnapping, gun and drug offenses..................a zoo visit makes him a super parent.

Also appears mom and dad are not married. That might shed some light on the family unit, or not..........the new norm is not to be criticized.

Do wonder about the protest pics......seem to be white folk (maybe most Petards are?).

Wonder how many of them jumped on the BLM crap before...........

SJW and Petards................

Too bad one or a couple of them weren't there to jump in and take the kid away from the gorilla.

Why do any of us need to know their background? It may be relevant to the people actually dealing with the aftermath, but we're not. Idle curiosity....weird superiority complex?

 

[T.Lex]

Why do any of us need to know their background? It may be relevant to the people actually dealing with the aftermath, but we're not. Idle curiosity....weird superiority complex?

INGO tradition?

 

[Woobie]

Why do any of us need to know their background? It may be relevant to the people actually dealing with the aftermath, but we're not. Idle curiosity....weird superiority complex?

The Age of Aquarius is past. This is the Age of Narcissus. Everything is about our superiority complex. "Look at those self absorbed Kardashians, those dumb Jersey Shore kids, that fat pagent princess and her fat mom. Look at me, this is my status update, this is my new car, my kids $8,000 5th birthday party."

Everything everyone else does is subject to intense scrutiny from the wisest among us. Those sages being everyone with a keyboard or a phone.

 

[HoughMade]

I know. Social media can be a good thing and a fun thing...and it can also be vapid, mean and cruel.

My point is simply this- so they've done some dumb, bad stuff (allegedly)...does an internet pile-on help anyone? Does it help the kid? Does it bring the gorilla back?

Of course not. All it does is inject an insane amount of pressure into some lives where there appears to be difficulty already.

I had the same attitude about the dentist/lion thing.

Online busybodies with, apparently, time on their hands and inflated sense of self-importance want to do the least creative thing and least useful thing they possibly could- join a bunch of similarly useless people and see who can be the meanest.

 

[Cameramonkey]

VERY informative take from an actual professional Gorilla Wrangler. (OK, zookeper, but wrangler sounds cooler) :



I am going to try to clear up a few things that have been weighing on me about Harambe and the Cinci Zoo since I read the news this afternoon.
I have worked with Gorillas as a zookeeper while in my twenties (before children) and they are my favorite animal (out of dozens) that I have ever worked closely with. I am gonna go ahead and list a few facts, thoughts and opinions for those of you that aren't familiar with the species itself, or how a zoo operates in emergency situations.


Now Gorillas are considered 'gentle giants' at least when compared with their more aggressive cousins the chimpanzee, but a 400+ pound male in his prime is as strong as roughly 10 adult humans. What can you bench press? OK, now multiply that number by ten. An adult male silverback gorilla has one job, to protect his group. He does this by bluffing or intimidating anything that he feels threatened by.


Gorillas are considered a Class 1 mammal, the most dangerous class of mammals in the animal kingdom, again, merely due to their size and strength. They are grouped in with other apes, tigers, lions, bears, etc.
While working in an AZA accredited zoo with Apes, keepers DO NOT work in contact with them. Meaning they do NOT go in with these animals. There is always a welded mesh barrier between the animal and the humans.
In more recent decades, zoos have begun to redesign enclosures, removing all obvious caging and attempting to create a seamless view of the animals for the visitor to enjoy watching animals in a more natural looking habitat. *this is great until little children begin falling into exhibits* which of course can happen to anyone, especially in a crowded zoo-like setting.


I have watched this video over again, and with the silverback's postering, and tight lips, it's pretty much the stuff of any keeper's nightmares, and I have had MANY while working with them. This job is not for the complacent. Gorillas are kind, curious, and sometimes silly, but they are also very large, very strong animals. I always brought my OCD to work with me. checking and rechecking locks to make sure my animals and I remained separated before entering to clean.


I keep hearing that the Gorilla was trying to protect the boy. I do not find this to be true. Harambe reaches for the boys hands and arms, but only to position the child better for his own displaying purposes.
Males do very elaborate displays when highly agitated, slamming and dragging things about. Typically they would drag large branches, barrels and heavy weighted balls around to make as much noise as possible. Not in an effort to hurt anyone or anything (usually) but just to intimidate. It was clear to me that he was reacting to the screams coming from the gathering crowd.


Harambe was most likely not going to separate himself from that child without seriously hurting him first (again due to mere size and strength, not malicious intent) Why didn't they use treats? well, they attempted to call them off exhibit (which animals hate), the females in the group came in, but Harambe did not. What better treat for a captive animal than a real live kid!
They didn't use Tranquilizers for a few reasons, A. Harambe would've taken too long to become immobilized, and could have really injured the child in the process as the drugs used may not work quickly enough depending on the stress of the situation and the dose B. Harambe would've have drowned in the moat if immobilized in the water, and possibly fallen on the boy trapping him and drowning him as well.
Many zoos have the protocol to call on their expertly trained dart team in the event of an animal escape or in the event that a human is trapped with a dangerous animal. They will evaluate the scene as quickly and as safely as possible, and will make the most informed decision as how they will handle the animal.
I can't point fingers at anyone in this situation, but we need to really evaluate the safety of the animal enclosures from the visitor side. Not impeding that view is a tough one, but there should be no way that someone can find themselves inside of an animal's exhibit.
I know one thing for sure, those keepers lost a beautiful, and I mean gorgeous silverback and friend. I feel their loss with them this week. As educators and conservators of endangered species, all we can do is shine a light on the beauty and majesty of these animals in hopes to spark a love and a need to keep them from vanishing from our planet. Child killers, they are not. It's unfortunate for the conservation of the species, and the loss of revenue a beautiful zoo such as Cinci will lose. tragedy all around.

 

[Hookeye]

I've been to a few zoos.
Seen kids being monitored by their parents, seen others more wild than the critters in the enclosures.
Sometimes sheite happens.
Often it is the result of previous crappings.

 

[Hookeye]

Go to a real zoo (Walmart)and watch how folks let their demon spawn terrorize the place.
Amazing more kids don't end up in gorilla exhibits...........but then why don't they?

That zoo barrier has kept how many kids from getting in before?

Why did it fail this time?

To get a more "natural" experience, such exhibits will have some risk.

Hang onto your kids.

Think not doing so poses some danger, and the majority not from the critters.

 

[Hookeye]

I've seen too many young couples let their kids run amok, hyper active, and there be no discipline.
It is a social problem.
And may have contributed to this event.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Meanwhile, in Barcelona you can touch the animals if you're foolish enough.

If you're stupid enough to feed your child to the alligator, the sign told you not to.

 

[steveh_131]

Rare photo, captured just moments before the kill shot

 

[chezuki]

Clever girl!

 

[churchmouse]

Clever girl!

Same thought here.........great line just before he died.........