# Gorilla shot to save young boy **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 30, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046 "2016-05-30T01:13:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/41 "2016-05-30T06:42:34Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Um no. Sorry. The world isn’t a day care center for incompetent parents. “The world” isn’t, but zoos aren’t “the world”. They’re children’s entertainment venues. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/42 "2016-05-30T06:47:47Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Um no. Sorry. The world isn’t a day care center for incompetent parents. But you’re talking about a ZOO where the primary consideration is the welfare of the animals and safety of the visiting public. That’s exactly why the animals are in enclosures that are MEANT to protect both the animals from prying fingers, and the public from snapping crocs (for example). The fact that the child was in any way able to get into the gorilla enclosure makes it clear that the zoos security was flawed, regardless of what the parents did or didn’t do. TL/DR…the kid shouldn’t have been able to get into the gorilla enclosure: the zoo fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/43 "2016-05-30T09:06:09Z")
I suppose shooting the kid was out of the question. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/44 "2016-05-30T11:27:29Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I suppose shooting the kid was out of the question. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/45 "2016-05-30T11:50:52Z")
Anyone who thinks a 4-year-old could _never_ momentarily escape their grasp or watchful eye has never had a 4-year-old. The parents may or may not be at fault, but the zoo most definitely is. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/46 "2016-05-30T12:09:37Z")
All this talk of penalizing the parents. But I wonder if maybe the parents will sue the zoo. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/47 "2016-05-30T12:23:19Z")
From what I have read, the mother had more than one kid, and was tending tending to a younger one at the moment the kids broke into the gorilla enclosure. I have been to several zoos in several countries with my daughter, starting when she was a toddler. In none of them was it possible for a toddler or a small child to get into any of the enclosures by themselves. I am having a hard time imagining how this happened. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/48 "2016-05-30T12:48:51Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I disagree. No matter what the parents did, this is almost entirely the zoo’s fault. Zoos are designed for small children - children are their primary audience, and it’s perfectly reasonable for parents to assume that they’re in a safe environment. If a child can get into an enclosure without a bolt cutter, then the zoo has done something wrong. I agree. Even if the mom wasn’t keeping as close an eye on him as she should, there’s no way in hell any visiting human should be able to enter an animal’s habitat. And when the animal is potentially dangerous, even more caution should have been taken when designing their enclosure. If the zoo had done their due diligence before displaying the gorillas, that gorilla would still be alive, and at most the kid would’ve scared his mom by being some where else that was safe to be instead of in front of her. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/49 "2016-05-30T12:50:16Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > All this talk of penalizing the parents. But I wonder if maybe the parents will sue the zoo. That would be the ultimate outrage irony, on par with the burglar suing the homeowner for injury. But it would be the quintessentially American thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/50 "2016-05-30T12:53:10Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Poor fences. There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all gorilla and I am precocious toddler. My four year old will never get across And eat the bananas under his apes, I tell him. He only says, “Good fences make for lower insurance premiums.” ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/51 "2016-05-30T12:56:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m surprised the zoo had somebody with a rifle so quickly available. I had thought tranquilizers were there method for animal control. Apparently not > > It’s a terrible outcome. I’m sure the zoo staff are hurting more than anyone else. They get very attached to the animals they care for. I used to know a guy who worked at a zoo as a graphic artist. He hadn’t hunted as an adult, but did collect vintage shotguns & practiced at a shooting range. So he was part of the zoo’s Shooting Team. Just in case–haven’t heard of any similar incidents at the Houston Zoo. He once had a nightmare the bears escaped from their enclosure–he helped design that stuff. I’m sure the zoo will investigate the incident in detail & perhaps redesign the gorilla exhibit; animals & human animals are resourceful. So future zoo goers will complain that they can’t see… Just saw the incident on the news & the kid was definitely in danger. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/52 "2016-05-30T12:56:44Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > Why couldn’t they use a tranquilizer gun? Because this isn’t the movies. In reality tranquilizers are a risky proposition and they doesn’t always result in the target immediately going into a blissful nap. > [@spamforbrains](#): > > Or offer to trade some bananas for the kid? The Bananas for Kids Accord negotiations broke down after hours of heated debate I guess. Presumably the life of the child was paramount. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/53 "2016-05-30T12:57:00Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > That would be the ultimate outrage irony, on par with the burglar suing the homeowner for injury. But it would be the quintessentially American thing to do. It would be on a par for people who don’t recognize the difference between an uninvited trespasser and a paying customer. Do you not realize that different standard of care applies to each? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/54 "2016-05-30T13:02:30Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > All this talk of penalizing the parents. But I wonder if maybe the parents will sue the zoo. Assuming they have health insurance, they might _have to_ in order to get their child’s injuries treated. (Or rather, their insurer will slap their names on a lawsuit whether they like it or not.) ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/55 "2016-05-30T13:09:58Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Anyone who thinks a 4-year-old could _never_ momentarily escape their grasp or watchful eye has never had a 4-year-old. > > The parents may or may not be at fault, but the zoo most definitely is. > mmm Or they’ve had one or two easily manageable children and no experience with the other kind. My kid is quite managable and frankly too timid to do this, but that’s no credit to my parenting skills. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/56 "2016-05-30T13:14:20Z")
Maybe to protect itself from law suits the zoo will establish an["all children must be on a leash" policy.](https://www.buzzfeed.com/justinj13/35-ridiculous-pictures-children-on-leashes-7khw) But, then again, idiots like the ones in [Picture 22](https://www.buzzfeed.com/justinj13/35-ridiculous-pictures-children-on-leashes-7khw) will sue the zoo for leading them into a dangerous situation. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/57 "2016-05-30T13:14:43Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > Or offer to trade some bananas for the kid? Bananas go for around fifty nine cents per pound. Buying in bulk can take that down to forty cents a pound. A child’s life is _priceless_. Where is a zoo going to get that many bananas on short notice? ---
**Author:** ![Pylesos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@Pylesos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pylesos)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/58 "2016-05-30T13:35:38Z")
“Mommy is right here!”… “Thoughts and prayers!” Where is dad in all of this? Why is he not in enclosure, protecting his kid? Is he at home, taking a break from his fat cunty wife and annoying kid? Do ape loves not matter? There’s 7 billions humans in the world and a few thousands of lowland gorillas, yet the gorilla gets shot to save the stupid kid, who’ll grow up and amount to nothing? Send the “parents” the bill for a new gorilla, at the very least… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/59 "2016-05-30T13:41:46Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > “Magilla Gorilla” is not a nature documentary. **This post has been Grape Aped by the Grape Apist.** ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/60 "2016-05-30T14:00:29Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > I have been to several zoos in several countries with my daughter, starting when she was a toddler. In none of them was it possible for a toddler or a small child to get into any of the enclosures by themselves. I am having a hard time imagining how this happened. Outdoor large-animal enclosures? How were these constructed, exactly? Those I can recall could typically be penetrated by someone willing to go under or over a railing, take a significant fall, and often get wet. The fence below the top rail may be plexiglass or mesh, so a scramble over would be necessary in those cases. > [@Alessan](#): > > Zoos are designed for small children - children are their primary audience, and it’s perfectly reasonable for parents to assume that they’re in a safe environment. If a child can get into an enclosure without a bolt cutter, then the zoo has done something wrong. > [@elfkin477](#): > > Even if the mom wasn’t keeping as close an eye on him as she should, there’s no way in hell any visiting human should be able to enter an animal’s habitat. Have you been to a zoo recently? Apart from some of the birds’, I’m pretty sure that I could get into every outdoor enclosure at the National Zoo (for example), were I determined and stupid, no tools required. I assume even the most intrepid neglected toddlers would be somewhat less successful, but not completely. Modern zoo enclosures are designed for security from the _inside,_ and unobstructed views from the outside. A “bolt cutter” standard would ruin the experience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046.md?page=4)