Cincinnati Zoo stands by decision to shoot, kill gorilla
17-year-old gorilla shot, killed Saturday
The Cincinnati Zoo stands by its decision to shoot a gorilla who was handling a 3-year-old boy Saturday, zoo director Thane Maynard said Monday.
Maynard spoke Monday afternoon about the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old male lowland gorilla. A child got inside Harambe's habitat at the zoo’s Gorilla World exhibit Saturday.
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"It was a life-threatening situation and the silverback gorilla is a very dangerous animal. He would be a very dangerous animal to (adults)," said Maynard.
"We stand by our decision and we'd make the same call today," he said.
The 400-pound gorilla was shot and killed by zoo staff after they said he handled the 3-year-old boy Saturday. Video shows the silverback dragging the child through the water.
Maynard said that the child crawled over a 3-foot barrier, crawled through bushes and fell approximately 15 feet into the gorilla’s enclosure, which is surrounded by a moat filled with 1.5 feet of water.
Full video: Boy falls into Gorilla World at Cincinnati Zoo
“This child was being dragged around. His head was banging on concrete,” Maynard said. “This was not a gentle thing. The child was at risk.”
Maynard said the child’s safety was paramount and tranquilizing the gorilla was not an option.
“Tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes and the child was in imminent danger. On top of that, the impact from the dart could agitate the animal and cause the situation to get much worse,” Maynard said.
The zoo’s Dangerous Animal Response Team moved in, shooting the gorilla dead. The child was removed from the exhibit and taken to Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He was released from the hospital Saturday night.
Maynard said the decision to shoot the gorilla was very emotional, but essential.
“Naturally, we did not take the shooting of Harambe lightly, but that child’s life was in danger,” he said. “People who question that, or are Monday-morning quarterbacks or second-guessers, don’t understand that you can’t take a risk with a silverback gorilla.”
“We’re talking about an animal, who with one hand, I’ve seen take a coconut and crunch it,” Maynard said.
Despite questions about the safety of the exhibit, Maynard insisted Monday that it is safe to the public.
“The exhibit is safe. We’re inspected both by the USDA and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” Maynard said. “The barriers are safe and exceed any of the required protocols.”
When asked where the zoo places blame, Maynard responded, “I’m not a big finger-pointer. Politicians and pundits point fingers. We live in the real world and we make real decisions. People, kids and others, can climb over barriers.”
Family of boy who fell into zoo exhibit: Child safe, grieving loss of gorilla
In the wake of Saturday’s incident, the zoo has received an influx of support from around the globe. Maynard said the Cincinnati Zoo has received condolences from thousands of zoo directors and from Jane Goodall – one of the world’s foremost experts on chimpanzees.
The community also stands with the zoo, creating a makeshift memorial outside of the zoo’s grounds. Flowers and framed photographs of Harambe were left at the base of a pole on the corner at Vine and Erkenbrecher.
The Gorilla World exhibit at the zoo remains closed as zoo officials decide if added security measures are needed. Gorilla World opened in 1978. Saturday was the first breach in the exhibit’s history.