# 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:** 8
**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, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/141 "2016-05-30T22:35:05Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Yes, because heaven forbid parents take responsibility for their children in public. Nope, it’s the world’s fault. > > You’re right though, the parents will claim victimhood and sue and zoos are usually strapped for cash so while the parents buy a new minivan and plop out more brats, the zoo will have to cut back on who knows how many programs for animals, which is what zoos are supposed to be about, not playing day care. You’re a psychic! > [@Peremensoe](#): > > 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. > > 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. The had a large moat on the inside, a a tall glass barrier on the outside. Mind you, penguins and weasels managed to escape from the non-secure areas, but there’s little chance for a small penguin seriously injuring a child. > [@MandaJo](#): > > Y’all realize that the devil is entirely in the details? I mean, if it comes out that the kid squirmed through a corner where several other pre-schoolers had almost gotten through before, to the point that the zoo staff referred to the spot at the “toddler trap”, well, then that would change things. On the other hand, if there’s security footage of the mom on her phone while the kid laboriously drags a bench over, makes several aborted attempts to climb a tree, and then finally hauls his still-distracted mom over to use her back as a brace so that he can lever himself into the tree and over a fence, that’s a different story. > > The truth is probably somewhere in between those extremes, but in the absence of any actual information, it seems insane to speak with any sort of confidence about who was at fault here. Shutup with your facts and critical thinking! We’re trying to have a shame-a-thon here. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/142 "2016-05-30T22:44:16Z")
1. eliminate all zoos? The last remaining wild animals on the planet are in zoos - the ones ‘in the wild’ are doomed due to climate change, encroaching on the wilderness to house and feed the 7 billion gaping human maws in the world (each one wanting their own car). AMAZON DEFORESTATION AND BURNING, ANYONE? Might as well keep animals in zoos for one good, long last look. Maybe put their DNA into frozen storage for any future generations, if any…I’ve always thought childrens books featuring animals - elephants, monkeys, lions, tigers, bears - are the kind of thing that just won’t transfer well in the future. Childrens books then will be about cell phones, kindles, texting, tweeting, twerking, nude selfies. Animals? Dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, chickens: that’s food and pets. Oh, rats, mice,cockroaches, deer, groundhogs, boa constrictors on the loose in Florida. No wild animals except food, pests, pets left in the world, so why keep writing cute books about extinct and endangered species???. 2. Such a tragic situation all around. I feel SO much worse for the gorilla. SO much worse. Though I suppose they did what they had to do. Well, we all meet our end somehow - animals, too. That gorilla probably lived a whole lot longer in the zoo than he would have in the wild. Could have been shot by African poachers for an aphrodesiac, or a few bucks. 3. If those f’ing parents DARED to try to sue the zoo because, special snowflake, the rascal! was in danger, I would hope and pray the judge would laugh in their faces and kick them out of the courtroom. I would LOVE to see them ordered to make reparation to the zoo for the loss of the gorilla. (Spend junior’s college fund. There’s probably something wrong with him anyway, the rascal! Hyperactive, or ADD or ADHD, on the spectrum, whatever the current vogue for messed up brains is.) 4. Somehow, somewhere, some day - I just know it - they will write a book, or a cheapie made-for-tv-move will be made to put a few bucks in the parents pockets. I don’t know how or why, I think they are fucking negligent idiots - but it could happen. They’ll at least sell their story to a tabloid: ‘how we almost lost Special Snowflake to a wild beast!’ ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/143 "2016-05-30T22:52:40Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > A four year old is generally unlikely to be reading said “clearly posted” rules or procedures. 😃 > > The issue is whether a kid will _escape from a parent’s supervision_, and whether the facilities are designed for such a contingency. > > Which _will_ happen _on occasion_, despite any “clearly posted rules” - if you admit young children, it is pretty well a certainty. Why should zoos not be held to the standard of taking measures for preventing a very reasonably foreseeable hazard? Probably why there is also a sign that says children must be accompanied by an adult. Cincinnati zoo gets around a million visitors a year, so if kids were regularly falling into animal enclosures we’d hear about it. The safety precautions appear to be adequate. But, [according to this](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/harambe-gorillas-zoos-safety-incidents-animals/), 15 people have died and 110 were injured in zoo incidents since 1990. I’d expect parents to be aware that zoos aren’t 100% safe child-proofed day care centers. Yes, you \*can \*get into enclosures if you’re determined. That’s why the sign says don’t. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/144 "2016-05-30T23:04:45Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Please, point us to them. I am very interested in design, and if these systems are as perfect as you say, I’d like to visit the zoos using them for a close look. Here is [some basic information](http://www.zoolex.org/publication/fiby/zootrends08/fiby_topos62.html) for you. > [@](#): > > Technical innovations are leading to new types of animal exhibits. Huge aquarium displays and underwater tunnels are being built now that acrylic panels can be manufactured in almost any form and dimension. Nearly invisible barriers can be created with special nettings, tension steel wire and the use of electric fences. Computer modelling allows for the design of huge free form nettings for naturalistic animal exhibits. You want one specific place to visit for a close look? [Here.](http://www.enr.com/blogs/12-california-views/post/14371-san-diego-zoo-breaks-ground-on-68-million-africa-rocks-project) You may also want to visit [Denver](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_Zoo) for a [safety model](http://www.denverzoo.org/denver-zoo-first-zoo-western-hemisphere-earn-prestigious-health-and-safety-certification). It is very simple: if you run a facility with potentially dangerous attractions you place guest and exhibit safety as highest priorities. Next is employee safety. Then the best possible viewing experience so long as those higher priorities are not compromised. They do not need to be. It is _expected_ that some children will be less than ideally supervised. That will occur many times every single hour the zoo is open. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/145 "2016-05-30T23:16:41Z")
As for banning zoos: 1. Many of the animals in them were born in captivity and do not have the skills to survive in the wild. 2. Many zoos including one I worked at take on injured animals and give them a second chance at a life. 3. Without zoos many species would go extinct. As for having zoos but banning people or boycotting then of course you are then taking away their biggest source of funding. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/146 "2016-05-31T00:22:47Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > 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. > [@Peremensoe](#): > > 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. Yes, most recently in RI just three weeks ago, and before that in NYC in December. I assure you, with the exception of the barn with sheep and goats for the wee ones to pet, there was nothing about any of the enclosures at either zoo that suggested even a dare devil child would’ve gotten into them. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/147 "2016-05-31T00:29:14Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > As for banning zoos: > > 1. Many of the animals in them were born in captivity and do not have the skills to survive in the wild. > > 2. Many zoos including one I worked at take on injured animals and give them a second chance at a life. > > 3. Without zoos many species would go extinct. > > As for having zoos but banning people or boycotting then of course you are then taking away their biggest source of funding. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk If captive bred animals can’t be reintroduced to the wild, that calls into question that zoos save animals from extinction. They can’t be reintroduced to the wild, and often species go extinct due to habitat loss, so there’s no where to reintroduce them. I think most zoo animals that are allowed to breed, are bred for the zoo trade, not eventual reintroduction to the wild. Excess animals are killed, not set free. ---
**Author:** ![Pylesos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@Pylesos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pylesos)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/148 "2016-05-31T01:02:11Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I dunno, why don’t you call them and see if they have a gorilla exclusionary clause. Uh… What!!! You’re the one who claimed that > [@Magiver](#): > > The insurance company will reimburse the zoo and now you’re claiming that you “dunno” whether the insurance will reimburse the zoo (as per your original claim) and shifting the onus of the proof of your claim on me?:smack: ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/149 "2016-05-31T01:07:49Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > There’s no way to know this. It could well have been that the kid spent fifteen determined minutes finding a way to squirm himself between the bars while his mom stared at her phone, but it also could have been a kid who managed to pull his hand out of his mom’s grip and take a runner and just get really “lucky”. The mom had 5 other kids with her , she run a day care . That was not very smart bring 6 small children to a zoo by yourself and they weren’t all her kids . She was trying to watch too many kids at once and this cost an innocent animal it life ! ---
**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 31, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/150 "2016-05-31T01:12:06Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > If captive bred animals can’t be reintroduced to the wild, that calls into question that zoos save animals from extinction. They can’t be reintroduced to the wild, and often species go extinct due to habitat loss, so there’s no where to reintroduce them. I think most zoo animals that are allowed to breed, are bred for the zoo trade, not eventual reintroduction to the wild. Excess animals are killed, not set free. They keep some alive until maybe we figure something out? It’s better than the alternative. Just ask the dodo. ---
**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 31, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/151 "2016-05-31T01:16:12Z")
Slightly off-topic: Have any of you toured the Everglades? I was shocked to see how up close and personal you are with the gators. In fact, I saw a mom strolling the path holding her toddler’s hand; the tyke was pulling, trying to release from her grip. A gator was just yards away. I prayed to the ogs that he not break free. mmm ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/152 "2016-05-31T01:22:05Z")
> [@](#): > > I just don’t understand the rush to kill the animal. The gorilla was with the child for ten minutes without attacking. I wish they had given the agitated gorilla time to calm down after zoo staff removed the crowd. The staff might have been able to safely remove the child like its been done in other cases. I linked a couple of them last night. Today the news is also mentioning those cases where zoos saved the kid without killing the gorilla… > > Shooting should have been the last option and not option #1. Much like SWAT teams do with humans, they could keep a rifle aimed at the gorilla. Drop him in his tracks if he makes any aggressive move towards the child. That’s probably what was done in prior cases. Exactly. This isn’t exactly a wild animal-he’s lived with people for 17 years. He’s also not some hungry tiger, he’s pretty close to being human and his keepers probably communicate quite well with him. I’m sure they could have gotten the kid safely away in some way if they’d tried. > [@](#): > > ACQUIRING?! You talk about it like it was some sort of slave, not an endangered great ape worth more than a stupid human child! Where exactly do you think they are going to get another gorilla? There aren’t many left. Personally, I think any gorilla’s life is worth far more than any child’s life simply based on their relative rarity. Kids are a dime a dozen. Gorillas, not. ---
**Author:** ![Pylesos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@Pylesos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pylesos)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/153 "2016-05-31T01:22:33Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Slightly off-topic: Have any of you toured the Everglades? I was shocked to see how up close and personal you are with the gators. > > In fact, I saw a mom strolling the path holding her toddler’s hand; the tyke was pulling, trying to release from her grip. A gator was just yards away. I prayed to the ogs that he not break free. > mmm Do you tour everglades frequently or was it just a one-off? If former, could you take a camera with you next time? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/154 "2016-05-31T01:40:25Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > Exactly. This isn’t exactly a wild animal-he’s lived with people for 17 years. He’s also not some hungry tiger, he’s pretty close to being human and his keepers probably communicate quite well with him. I’m sure they could have gotten the kid safely away in some way if they’d tried. Once again, you have absolutely no knowledge of gorillas, the behavior of this particular gorilla, or of the specific situation, but you believe you know better than the trained professionals who actually had to deal with the situation. > [@](#): > > Where exactly do you think they are going to get another gorilla? There aren’t many left. Personally, I think any gorilla’s life is worth far more than any child’s life simply based on their relative rarity. Kids are a dime a dozen. Gorillas, not. The survival of gorillas as a species was in no way threatened by the death of this particular individual. I actually work with endangered species, and I could not in any way support this statement. ---
**Author:** ![Pylesos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc348/32.png) [@Pylesos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pylesos)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/155 "2016-05-31T01:45:06Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > I think any gorilla’s life is worth far more than any child’s life simply based on their relative rarity. Kids are a dime a dozen. Gorillas, not. Couldn’t agree more. The gorilla actually did a better job of keeping an eye on the kid than mom did. The zoo should make the moat deeper so that the gravity and darwinism can do its job for the next kid that falls in. In the perfect world the mom would’ve gotten dropped in the enclosure as a distraction, while the kid was being rescued. Unfortunately, the whole story will be forgotten in 5 minutes, when the latest Kim Whoredasian wardrobe malfunction becomes national news. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/156 "2016-05-31T02:19:02Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > They should have shot the parents, next. This. Immediately. In fact, let all the gorillas beat the shit out of this wonderful “mom” who somehow lost her 4-year old child long enough for the kid to breach an enclosure that had not been entered in 38 years the zoo has been open. my guess is she had her head buried into her cellphone, playing candy crush or posting a message to her facebook page, telling all of her friends what a great mom she is by taking her spawn to the zoo. I wonder how many “You go girl!”, “You’re a super-mom!” and “thumbs-up” she got right before they shot the gorilla. My prediction: 1. Mom starts a “Go Fund Me” page for charitable contributions (to ease her trauma) 2. she sues the Cincinnati Zoo for permitting her kid climb the fence and enter the enclosure. I am amazed at the responses in here defending the mother. Did anyone read the article? Cincinnati Zoo has never had a breach of that (or any other enclosure) for 38 years. I’d say that it was a reasonably safe place to take a child. The mother and child “discussed” him going into the water. Clearly, he announced his intentions, and instead of PAYING ATTENTION TO HER KID, a gorilla is shot. I saw a video, and that looked to me as if the gorilla was being protective. Now, that doesn’t mean the gorilla wouldn’t have ripped the kid’s arm from his body, but I didn’t see a crazed animal pounding the kid apart. I can understand why the zoo would not want to roll the dice and take the chance. So they made the only choice they thought was an option. Unless there is a gaping hole that this kid could walk through (aside from the one in mom’s head), I think I can confidently state that this parent wasn’t paying attention. No mention of any “dad”, so it would appear she was solely responsible. Anyone here defending this twit either hasn’t been outside in the last 15 years, or is defending her because they have their head buried in their cellphones, too. My personal observations since it was decided from on-high that every mouth-breathing fucktard is entitled to a smart phone is that people pay little to no attention to their vile offspring(s) for large swaths of time. God knows, they can’t miss a “tweet” or check what their FB “friends” are lying about, or get the latest sports scores. Those pics upthread with the child leashes are a perfect solution to the inattentive “parent”. Gotta love 'merica! To paraphrase Keanu Reeves (from Parenthood). You need a license to drive a car, own a dog… Hell, you need a license to catch a fish. But they will let any asshole be a parent. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/157 "2016-05-31T02:24:28Z")
> [@Lee\_Q](#): > > In fact she’s seething that anyone would dare suggest she might’ve paid closer attention to the kid. Oh Im sure that’s all she’s seething at. Not what I am sure is a mountain of abuse on Facebook, Twitter, Message Boards, or the alleged petition signed by the 80,000+ Judgy-McJudgersons who are demanding she be thrown in jail. Im guessing tons of death threats, too. Its bad enough having some lookdown their nose at you and criticize your parenting; I cant imagine the abuse she is putting up with and its natural to dog your heels. [/quote] > [@](#): > > As for your final question - “Finally, what does it say about our society that we are more outraged at the death of an animal than we are grateful a child’s life was saved.” - for starters I guess it says that not everyone in our society adheres to a notion of moral absolutes or otherwise shares your apparent value system concerning such things. Well, they absolutely should. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/158 "2016-05-31T02:29:15Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > If captive bred animals can’t be reintroduced to the wild, that calls into question that zoos save animals from extinction. They can’t be reintroduced to the wild, and often species go extinct due to habitat loss, so there’s no where to reintroduce them. Right. Therefore, it might be likely the only specimens left will have to live in zoos. Hopefully they can be bred to continue the species. > [@](#): > > I think most zoo animals that are allowed to breed, are bred for the zoo trade, not eventual reintroduction to the wild. Excess animals are killed, not set free. I can only speak for American zoos, where I imagine this practice would be highly illegal. I do acknowledge there are bad zoos around the world. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/159 "2016-05-31T02:47:56Z")
> [@crypto](#): > > This. > > Immediately. Well, that would be hard to do since only the Mom was there, shocking you missed that since you were obviously there. > [@](#): > > In fact, let all the gorillas beat the shit out of this wonderful “mom” who somehow lost her 4-year old child long enough for the kid to breach an enclosure that had not been entered in 38 years the zoo has been open. Threaten the Mom with physical violence. That’s the answer to society’s problems. Take off your hairshirt. > [@](#): > > my guess is she had her head buried into her cellphone, playing candy crush or posting a message to her facebook page, telling all of her friends what a great mom she is by taking her spawn to the zoo. Or she was also busy watching the kids of other parents. Which was the case. Bet you didn’t know that, did you. > [@](#): > > My prediction: > > 1. Mom starts a “Go Fund Me” page for charitable contributions (to ease her trauma) Well, almost seeing your child ripped to shreds by a wild animal is pretty traumatizing. She may also have to raise money for a security system to protect her family from the idiots who have called for her to be shot once they find out her identity. > [@](#): > > 1. she sues the Cincinnati Zoo for permitting her kid climb the fence and enter the enclosure. Maybe she should. It has been suggested here the zoo might not be child-proofed. > [@](#): > > I am amazed at the responses in here defending the mother. Did anyone read the article? You clearly haven’t. > [@](#): > > Cincinnati Zoo has never had a breach of that (or any other enclosure) for 38 years. I’d say that it was a reasonably safe place to take a child. There’s a first time for everything. > [@](#): > > The mother and child “discussed” him going into the water. Clearly, he announced his intentions, and instead of PAYING ATTENTION TO HER KID, a gorilla is shot. Many kids this age are little fucking assholes and are hard to control. Even the best parents make mistakes. > [@](#): > > Unless there is a gaping hole that this kid could walk through (aside from the one in mom’s head), I think I can confidently state that this parent wasn’t paying attention. No mention of any “dad”, so it would appear she was solely responsible. Well, of course she wasn’t. She was playing Spider Solitaire on her iPhone, right? > [@](#): > > Anyone here defending this twit either hasn’t been outside in the last 15 years, or is defending her because they have their head buried in their cellphones, too. I was outside 20 minutes ago, and I’m currently watching TV. Im not defending the mother either, but am willing to learn more about what really happened and point out parenting isn’t as easy as people claim it is here. > [@](#): > > My personal observations since it was decided from on-high that every mouth-breathing fucktard is entitled to a smart phone is that people pay little to no attention to their vile offspring(s) for large swaths of time. God knows, they can’t miss a “tweet” or check what their FB “friends” are lying about, or get the latest sports scores. Your entire premise for this post is that her retarded kid jumped into the enclosure, after being told many times not to, so the mother HAD to be on her cell phone. Its ridiculous and you have no proof. This is the dumbest post so far here, and believe me there’s been a lot of them here, including the 1 or 2 Jackasses who said the Gorillas life is more important than the child’s. I hope their kids get attacked by a wild animal and see how it feels. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046/160 "2016-05-31T02:51:13Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > To the best of my knowledge highways are not marketed as areas for children to come to play, learn, and be entertained. neither are gorilla habitats in zoos. As was described upthread it was a concerted effort to get in. > [@DSeid](#): > > OTOH when playgrounds for preschoolers are built near busy roads there is great care put into the design to help ensure safety, with fences, gates, stop signs, reduced speed limits, etc. Great, none of those come close to the barricade at the zoo which is what I was going for. And anywhere I’ve lived the highway was separated by a 4 foot fence which is easily breached. try Googling: “child, wandered on highway” and see what you get. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorilla-shot-to-save-young-boy/756046.md?page=9)