Gorilla Gate
These irresponsible and reckless and inattentive parents let their boy climb over a fence and fall into a gorilla pit.
Subsequently the Gorilla was shot and killed.
Now the police confirm they are investigating the parents not the zoo.
Gorilla Gate
These irresponsible and reckless and inattentive parents let their boy climb over a fence and fall into a gorilla pit.
Subsequently the Gorilla was shot and killed.
Now the police confirm they are investigating the parents not the zoo.
Originally posted by FlyattractorThis is what I don't understand. I think the parenting thing is kind of a non-issue – what a surprise, there are people out there that are bad or mediocre parents! – why do zoos just take the animal out, as if tranq guns aren't the standard go-to for dealing with situations like this? Surely they have tranquillisers that do the job fast enough?
[b]You would think Zoo's would have Tranq guns for these emergencies instead of jumping right to lethal guns. [/B]
Of course the parents have to take responsibility for actions that put their child in danger, but if people are angry specifically about the death of the gorilla, I don't think that lies on the parents, it lies in how the zoo dealt with the animals under their care.
I do think that the policy of ultimately killing an animal that endangers a human if it has to come to that is right. I don't know all the details of this situation, but I assume that the people had to make a quick decision and we're doing that to the best of their ability. I don't think anyone wanted the gorilla to die. So even if perhaps the decision wasn't optimal (which I don't know, it may have been the right decision, the gorilla may have crushed the child ten seconds later) I wouldn't say it was wrong.
That's a pretty fair position to take. The zoo must have had specific measures they had in place to deal with situations like this. Not sure how a scenario like this would have played out in the UK, but then again, I've never been to a zoo here that had dangerous animal enclosures that were easy enough for a young child to get into. Do we know yet how long the child was left alone before he fell into the enclosure?
Originally posted by Scribble
Not sure how a scenario like this would have played out in the UK, but then again, I've never been to a zoo here that had dangerous animal enclosures that were easy enough for a young child to get into.
That's what I was wondering. I get that they have to balance security with people actually being able to see the animals, but I wonder what it says about a zoo that can't stop a small child getting in to a dangerous enclosure.
I mean of course you should always know what your child is doing, but if there's literally zero room for human error then there's something wrong. At the UK zoos I've been to, there's a fence, then an area before the enclosure, then either glass or another large fence after that before you get to the animal. If a kid fell in, their only danger would be of being harmed by the fall, there's no way they'd be able to make it into the bit where the animal actually lives.
Originally posted by Scribble
I mean of course you should always know what your child is doing, but if there's literally zero room for human error then there's something wrong. At the UK zoos I've been to, there's a fence, then an area before the enclosure, then either glass or another large fence after that before you get to the animal. If a kid fell in, their only danger would be of being harmed by the fall, there's no way they'd be able to make it into the bit where the animal actually lives.
👆 it's the same here in Ireland last I checked.
I was reading that the tranq would take about 10 mns to work and the zoo officials were worried how that would enrage the gorilla. The gorilla was known to be able to crush a coconut with one hand
Quit blaming the zoo. Yeah, a fence would be nice but the parents saw the layout and didn't pay close enough attention. The fault is with the parents
It's a tragedy nonetheless
Originally posted by Raisen
I was reading that the tranq would take about 10 mns to work and the zoo officials were worried how that would enrage the gorilla. The gorilla was known to be able to crush a coconut with one hand
Quit blaming the zoo. Yeah, a fence would be nice but the parents saw the layout and didn't pay close enough attention. The fault is with the parentsIt's a tragedy nonetheless
There's enough blame to go around. The parents are obviously the worst of the lot, but at the same time, it should be common knowledge that a lot of people are just thick, and need to be protected from themselves.
Originally posted by RaisenWhy do we need to blame one party or the other entirely? Things are rarely ever so simple.
I was reading that the tranq would take about 10 mns to work and the zoo officials were worried how that would enrage the gorilla. The gorilla was known to be able to crush a coconut with one hand
Quit blaming the zoo. Yeah, a fence would be nice but the parents saw the layout and didn't pay close enough attention. The fault is with the parentsIt's a tragedy nonetheless
The way I see it, the active blame is on the parents for not keeping a proper check on their child, especially if it was clear that the enclosure wasn't safe enough, but there was probably a lot the zoo could have done to prevent something like this happening in the first place. I imagine most American zoos do actually have the proper safety barriers that me and Pr have mentioned.
Ultimately though, it's just another tragedy caused by human error. All we can do is learn from it and move on.
Originally posted by -Pr-Agreed.
There's enough blame to go around. The parents are obviously the worst of the lot, but at the same time, it should be common knowledge that a lot of people are just thick, and need to be protected from themselves.