A Gorilla 'Tragedy'

Townhall.com ^ | June 2, 2016 | Mona Charen

[Kaslin]

A gorilla has taken control of your TV set.

What an apt metaphor for the past year. In fact, of course, I refer to the actual gorilla that was (if you take the word of some of the more unhinged commenters on social media) "assassinated" by zoo officials in Cincinnati.

I nearly wrote "who," but that would be to commit the error so many are making in this case -- confusing animals with people.

To recap: A family visited the gorilla exhibit over Memorial Day weekend. A 3-year-old child managed to slip into the gorilla enclosure while his mother was distracted.

Zoo officials explained that under these circumstances, they could not risk attempting to tranquilize the animal, because 1) tranquilizer darts take time to work; 2) the dart could have angered the ape; and 3) it would have taken only a matter of seconds for the gorilla to kill the child.

One criticism of the zoo seems entirely sensible and understandable: Why was the enclosure not childproof? At every zoo I've visited, visitors are kept safely away from dangerous animals. So if the fence wasn't secure enough to prevent a 3-year-old from squeezing through, someone should lose his job. Thank God a tragedy was averted by the quick action of zoo officials, who did the only thing they could do by shooting the gorilla (and good shot, by the way), but it could have been much worse.

But wait. In an avalanche of moral confusion, many people seem to have their heads screwed on wrong. The death of the animal -- a shame, to be sure -- is being called a "tragedy." Oh, yes, the White House spokesman himself said so. A string of silly celebrities wailed that the gorilla had been killed due to poor parenting. Actor Trevor Donovan tweeted, "'17 yr old Harambe the gorilla was shot dead after boy falls into Ohio zoo enclosure' Where were the parents?!"

Donovan must not have children. Those of us who do are aware that as watchful as we are, children can still put themselves in danger sometimes. Where are all these parenting police when parents do truly awful things, like giving their children drugs, or guns, or letting them watch TV 10 hours a day? I have no idea whether Michelle Gregg, the boy's mother, is a good parent or not, but I do know that the fact that he was out of her sight for a few seconds doesn't answer that question.

Actress Kaley Cuoco posted, "Once again, another animal being killed over people not using their brains. If you watch the footage, you see this gorgeous animal holding the child's hand. Do with that what you will." Here's what I do with it: I look at what happened after the first few seconds. Harambe, the 450-pound male gorilla, at first treated the little boy gently, but then, perhaps agitated by the crowd's cries, dragged the child by the ankle through the water and into another section of the exhibit. The boy's head was banging on concrete. It was not a scene from "Curious George."

An online petition calling for "Justice for Harambe" has received 100,000 signatures. CNN informs us that the name Harambe is Swahili for "come together for a common cause." And the Cincinnati police are reportedly investigating the little boy's family. "Cincinnati police said Tuesday that their review will focus on the actions of the boy's parents and family," CNN reported. "It is not related to the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo, authorities said." Well, that's completely backward.

Concern for animal welfare is not decadent. Some serious people argue that zoos and aquariums are inherently cruel, and they deserve a hearing. What's so off about the reactions to this sad tale is the confusion about who has moral standing. "Justice" is not something to which animals are entitled, because animals are not moral agents. Those demanding "justice" for a gorilla are saying something nonsensical. Suppose the gorilla had climbed out of the enclosure and grabbed the boy? Would his advocates demand that he be tried for assault? Of course not. The gorilla cannot be held legally or morally liable for his actions because he is a dumb beast. By the same token, he cannot receive "justice" from anyone. Animals can and should be treated humanely not because they are humane but because we are.

[TomGuy]

I have tried Gorilla glue on a few things. It is expensive and doesn’t work so well.

[Alberta's Child]

All you had to do was look at the poles and posts to know this was NOT a safe condition.

I wouldn't make any judgement based on my own visual observation. Some of the most reasonable, objective people who have weighed in on this incident have been zookeepers and gorilla handlers from other zoos -- who have all pointed out that a zoo is required to meet specific design and safety standards for the protection of both the animals and the visitors.

Of course, this just means that the design/safety standards will probably be upgraded ... which is really no different than a stupid warning label on a cup of coffee from McDonald's.

[minnesota_bound]

They must have watered down the gorilla.

[muggs]

Not only did a kid manage to get in, 2 1/2 months earlier, 2 polar bears escapes their exhibit.

[TomGuy]

They are of the same mentality as those pushing Population Zero in the late 70s and 80s.

Carrying out Population Zero to its finite conclusion erases the human race from the planet — and that would make these types quite happy.

[Mears]

“Netflix/HBO GO/Amazon Prime.”

---

I have all of those——pure delight.

A son insisted on installing the Fire Stick on my TV and I was very annoyed——I didn’t want it.

I guess mother doesn’t always know best. :-)

.

.

[Telepathic Intruder]

What they really want is morals, but they mistakenly look for it in human values. So they’re constantly disappointed but they don’t know why.

[Kaslin]

or the mute button does too

[Jamestown1630]

Yes; they don’t have lives, why should anyone else?

So much today is being driven by a weird kind of ‘mental illness’...

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

Well, I think human values do develop out of an instinctive moral sense. But that sense has to be guided and nurtured appropriately, as it used to be in Churches, Sunday Schools, and through the general tone of society.

-JT

[Noob1999]

When I built a custom house in 1996 I was required to design upper landing design of not more than 4 inch clearances. When I upgraded a house in 2009. The staircase design required two balustrades per step, or about six inch spacing.

Clearly the zoo restraints were not up to code!

[Alberta's Child]

Clearly the zoo restraints were not up to code!

Do you have any source of information that supports this statement?

[xzins]

Actually the polar bears did not defeat their exhibit boundaries. Someone left a door open on the caretaker side. That was pure human error.

[Noob1999]

Yes! As I posted my residential requirements were much more stringent in Rhode Island and Texas than the three bars at a minimum of total height, of 36 inches as shown in the zoo video.

[Kaslin]

excellent point.

[Bigg Red]

I hate gorillas.

[ETL]

Similar incident from 1986...

” On 31st August 1986, a five year old by the name of Levan Merritt was visiting Jersey Zoo (in the Channel Islands) with his family. Yet tragedy very nearly struck, as Merritt fell 12 feet into the zoo’s gorilla enclosure, and was knocked unconscious as he landed on concrete.

Merritt was in very real danger, with the gorillas in the enclosure potentially seeing the boy as a threat. One of the female gorillas, Nandi, walked towards him, as Levan’s parents looked on in horror.

And then something extraordinary happened.

For Jambo, a then 25-year old gorilla, intervened. He positioned himself between Levan and the gorillas in the enclosure, and protected the boy. More than that, he cradled and petted the boy, keeping him safe until help arrived.”

http://mentalfloss.com/uk/animals/37362/the-gorilla-who-saved-a-5-year-old-boy-at-a-zoo
_______________________________

Same incident...

“A gorilla rescued a toddler who fell into its exhibit, cradling the boy and protecting it from the other gorillas. It even carried the boy to the door to make it easier for paramedics to take the toddler away.”

http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddler/155936/gorilla_rescues_3yearold_who_fell
_______________________________

Deja vu: Saturday's incident at Cincinnati Zoo, left, revived memories of Levan Merritt falling into the gorilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo in 1986, right [or bottom]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3617401/They-right-choice-says-Briton-saved-gorilla-fell-zoo-enclosure-aged-five.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
_______________________________

‘They made the right choice’ says Brit who was ‘saved’ by a gorilla when he fell into a zoo enclosure aged five

By Hugo Gye for MailOnline
Published May 31, 2016

Levan Merritt, 35, fell into the gorilla enclosure in Jersey Zoo in 1986
He was protected by a giant silverback named Jambo and escaped safe
Says that footage of a similar incident at Cincinnati Zoo sparked memories of his own ordeal
Mr Merritt backs decision of zoo bosses to shoot gorilla dead to save boy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3617401/They-right-choice-says-Briton-saved-gorilla-fell-zoo-enclosure-aged-five.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[ETL]

Similar incident from 1986...

” On 31st August 1986, a five year old by the name of Levan Merritt was visiting Jersey Zoo (in the Channel Islands) with his family. Yet tragedy very nearly struck, as Merritt fell 12 feet into the zoo’s gorilla enclosure, and was knocked unconscious as he landed on concrete.

Merritt was in very real danger, with the gorillas in the enclosure potentially seeing the boy as a threat. One of the female gorillas, Nandi, walked towards him, as Levan’s parents looked on in horror.

And then something extraordinary happened.

For Jambo, a then 25-year old gorilla, intervened. He positioned himself between Levan and the gorillas in the enclosure, and protected the boy. More than that, he cradled and petted the boy, keeping him safe until help arrived.”

http://mentalfloss.com/uk/animals/37362/the-gorilla-who-saved-a-5-year-old-boy-at-a-zoo
_______________________________

Same incident (1986)...

“A gorilla rescued a toddler who fell into its exhibit, cradling the boy [Levan Merritt] and protecting it from the other gorillas. It even carried the boy to the door to make it easier for paramedics to take the toddler away.”

http://thestir.cafemom.com/toddler/155936/gorilla_rescues_3yearold_who_fell
_______________________________

Deja vu: Saturday's incident at Cincinnati Zoo, left, revived memories of Levan Merritt falling into the gorilla enclosure at Jersey Zoo in 1986, right [or bottom]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3617401/They-right-choice-says-Briton-saved-gorilla-fell-zoo-enclosure-aged-five.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
_______________________________

‘They made the right choice’ says Brit who was ‘saved’ by a gorilla when he fell into a zoo enclosure aged five

By Hugo Gye for MailOnline
Published May 31, 2016

Levan Merritt, 35, fell into the gorilla enclosure in Jersey Zoo in 1986
He was protected by a giant silverback named Jambo and escaped safe
Says that footage of a similar incident at Cincinnati Zoo sparked memories of his own ordeal
Mr Merritt backs decision of zoo bosses to shoot gorilla dead to save boy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3617401/They-right-choice-says-Briton-saved-gorilla-fell-zoo-enclosure-aged-five.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

[muggs]

It escaped the exhibit, into a back area where employees can be.

[xzins]

They left a door open.