My main question is why was the 4 year old child allowed to be there in the first place? Parenting of 101 was not in play at the time? You NEVER let a child that young wander off that way....!!!
I don’t know if drugging the ape would have helped, it had to be in a second decision, and I wasn’t there so can’t say what I would do, how many would?
A tragedy happened at the Pittsburgh Zoo several years ago when a young boy approximately 3 years old tumbled over the barrier of the viewing stand into the enclosure below where some species of wild dogs or coyotes killed the boy before zoo workers could save him. The child’s mother had held him up and stood him on the top of the barrier so he could see better. The child was attacked immediately when he hit the ground. There’s no time to lose. I’m sure in this current case that zoo workers had the Pittsburgh tragedy in mind when they acted fast.