Sigh... the gorilla DID NOT MAUL THE BOY nor did it appear that it intended to, up to the point that it died.
It was other elements of the situation that put pressure upon it. The zoo might have been rather embarrassed that critters, of human or otherwise ilk, could so easily get into the gorilla exhibit. Getting the boy from even a friendly gorilla might have taken more time than anyone wanted, given that the boy had suffered a 15 foot fall. (How do you explain “emergency” to a great ape?)
I wish people were no worse than that gorilla, sometimes. We’d have a nicer society. Gorillas may be violent sometimes by instinct — but it takes a human to sin.
Grabbing the boy by the foot and rapidly dragging him 20 feet through the water doesn't count?
It is clear from the video that it was largely the hysterical screaming of the spectators which ramped up the tension and agitated the gorilla. This zoo needs a commonsense emergency management plan. You don’t wait until there is a crisis to figure out how to respond.
The gorilla did not maul the boy. However, he did drag the boy through the water by his feet. Definitely a safety risk to the boy.