A special zoo response team shot and killed a 17-year-old gorilla on Saturday when it grabbed and dragged a 4-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit moat, the Cincinnati Zoo’s director said.
Authorities said the boy, who fell 10 to 12 feet and dragged about by the gorilla for about ten minutes, is expected to recover soon. He was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Cincinnati Zoo’s Director, Thane Maynard said the zoo’s dangerous animal response team that stays prepared for such incidents decided the boy was in “a life-threatening situation” and that they needed to put down the 400-pound-plus male gorilla named Harambe.
They made a tough choice and they made the right choice because they saved that little boy’s life. It could have been very bad.Thane Maynard, Director of Cincinnati Zoo
He said the gorilla didn’t appear to be attacking the child, but he said it was “an extremely strong” animal in an agitated situation, adding that tranquilizing the gorilla wouldn’t have knocked it out immediately, leaving the boy in danger.
Maynard said it was the first time that the team had killed a zoo animal in such an emergency situation, and he called it “a very sad day” at the zoo. The lowland gorilla is an endangered species.
Harambe, the gorilla had come to Cincinnati in 2015 from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.
The zoo said on Saturday night the Gorilla World area would remain closed until further notice after earlier saying it would be open on Sunday. Maynard said that investigations are on but zoo officials believe the boy crawled through a railing barrier, then fell into the moat.
The zoo prides itself for its work in protecting endangered species, and has been part of successful captive breeding efforts in recent years in the effort to save the endangered Sumatran rhino.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)