Cincinatti Zoo officials shoot and kill gorilla after child falls into enclosure

[RaphaelDLG]

Why is this vote so close? What were they supposed to do, let the gorilla kill the child?

I wouldn't go that far

The real villains in this story are the assholes blaming the parents.  I'd bet 80% of them are not parents.

^ true that. People are so quick to blame parents when tragic accidents happen to everybody (like the classic horrible story of the child accidentally locked in a hot car). I think a lot of them are people who aren't parents and don't understand children, but I imagine a good proportion are parents as well, desperately trying to rationalise that tragedies will never, ever happen to them.

(Also, it's a rock and a hard place, because parents get sh**t on all the time for being "helicopter parents" who mollycoddle their kiddies.)

[Virginiá]

As much as I love primates, the child should definitely come first. Who can live with knowing they let an ape kill an innocent kid when they had a chance to save him? The kid didn't know what he was doing and didn't deserve to die, the zoo failed to provide a secure habitat and the mother should have kept a better eye on him.. though, to be fair, I don't think it would be unreasonable to assume that your average mother believes kids can't just sneak into an enclosure like that. But, still, is the ape that important? Was it currently serving a super critical function, other than simply existing in a terribly small living space with random people gawking at it all day? We have its DNA, after all. Not the same, sure, but it reduces the severity of its death.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I imagine that shooting the gorilla while it was holding a baby was pretty dangerous in itself.

I'm not an expert, but wouldn't it be safer to shot the gorriba with sedatives. Isn't that usually a case?

I don't consider myself qualified to pass a judgement who was more responsible for this incident, but there's something terribly wrong if such thing could happen.

[Higgs]

I imagine that shooting the gorilla while it was holding a baby was pretty dangerous in itself.

I'm not an expert, but wouldn't it be safer to shot the gorriba with sedatives. Isn't that usually a case?

I don't consider myself qualified to pass a judgement who was more responsible for this incident, but there's something terribly wrong if such thing could happen.

From what I've read the sedative would've taken 5 to 10 minutes before the gorilla was out. With the gorilla violently dragging the kid around, waiting 5 to 10 minutes wasn't really much of an option.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I imagine that shooting the gorilla while it was holding a baby was pretty dangerous in itself.

I'm not an expert, but wouldn't it be safer to shot the gorriba with sedatives. Isn't that usually a case?

I don't consider myself qualified to pass a judgement who was more responsible for this incident, but there's something terribly wrong if such thing could happen.

From what I've read the sedative would've taken 5 to 10 minutes before the gorilla was out. With the gorilla violently dragging the kid around, waiting 5 to 10 minutes wasn't really much of an option.

Yes, there was no other option. What's most regretable is not the fact they had to shoot gorilla (who would take a risk with a kid's life threatened?), but the fact such situation was allowed to happen in the first place. Someone's obviously at fault, whether it's a casual carelessness or a fundamental flaw in the security. The kid was put at mortal danger and, I imagine, suffered a big trauma, and the gorilla had to be killed. It didn't have to happen.

[Higgs]

I imagine that shooting the gorilla while it was holding a baby was pretty dangerous in itself.

I'm not an expert, but wouldn't it be safer to shot the gorriba with sedatives. Isn't that usually a case?

I don't consider myself qualified to pass a judgement who was more responsible for this incident, but there's something terribly wrong if such thing could happen.

From what I've read the sedative would've taken 5 to 10 minutes before the gorilla was out. With the gorilla violently dragging the kid around, waiting 5 to 10 minutes wasn't really much of an option.

Yes, there was no other option. What's most regretable is not the fact they had to shoot gorilla (who would take a risk with a kid's life threatened?), but the fact such situation was allowed to happen in the first place. Someone's obviously at fault, whether it's a casual carelessness or a fundamental flaw in the security. The kid was put at mortal danger and, I imagine, suffered a big trauma, and the gorilla had to be killed. It didn't have to happen.

Agreed, better precautions need to be taken so tragedies like this can be avoided.

[This account no longer in use.]

FWIW, the child is reportedly doing well. But the facts are, it is indeed possible that nobody is at fault for this.

[dead0man]

oh that just won't do, there is no such thing as an accident in America in 2016.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

FWIW, the child is reportedly doing well. But the facts are, it is indeed possible that nobody is at fault for this.

Well, at least there must be something wrong with the security system if this could happen so yes, someone is at fault.

ZOO is responsible to safety. Parents are responsible for their children.

[DemPGH]

Don't see it anywhere, but the mother was, in fact, cleared today, which I think is the right thing to do. If they have not already, hopefully the zoo will take precautions to make it harder for a toddler to gain access that easily to a gorilla's enclosure.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

How did the little bastard fall in that enclosure so easily, anyway?  Was the barrier right there on display for any small child to enter if they wished?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

http://www.gocomics.com/bloom-county/2016/06/08

Fairly spot on in my opinion. Some animals do well in zoos, but gorillas aren't one of them.

[Sir Mohamed]

Yes, the child’s life was in danger. They had obviously no choice. But I blame the parents for not taking care for the boy the way it should be. The gorilla just followed his natural instincts and, as a result, got killed. But the cops had no choice. I really shuddered when I saw the video.

[Badger]

More so than the Zoo?  Sometimes even good parents lose track of their kid.

This. It sounds more like the Zoo effed up.

Look up the legal term "attractive nuisance".

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

#DicksOutForHarambe

[Badger]

#DicksOutForHarambe

Anthropomorphism has it's limits as a decision-making tool.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yes, human life always takes precedence over animal life in any circumstance (literally normal).

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Sometimes the ends justify the memes.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

How did the little bastard fall in that enclosure so easily, anyway?  Was the barrier right there on display for any small child to enter if they wished?

I can't tell if the angst toward the kid is real or not. As much as I hate most things young (millennials), a death sentence for something a lot of kids would probably love to do--climb into a zoo exhibit--for relatively innocent reasons doesn't seem appropriate. That aside though, "little bastard" seems a bit harsh of a label.

[Joe Republic]

Yes, human life always takes precedence over animal life in any circumstance (literally normal).

Agree to disagree.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yes, human life always takes precedence over animal life in any circumstance (literally normal).

Agree to disagree.

I seriously hope you're trolling.

[Joe Republic]

That's the second time in this thread I've been accused of that.  No, I'm not trolling.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well I can say in all honesty that is one of the creepiest things I have ever read on this forum. And that's saying a lot.

[Joe Republic]

Wtf?  I know you're a sensitive snowflake these days, but your flabbergasted tone here is arguably more strange than anything I've said here.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wtf?  I know you're a sensitive snowflake these days, but your flabbergasted tone here is arguably more strange than anything I've said here.

What?

I'm pretty sure most people would be equally shocked to hear someone argue that they'd rather see a human child die rather than a gorilla. At least I want to hope so.