Criminal Charges Possible In Killing of Cincinnati Gorilla (liberals/Reuters gone wild!)

Reuters News Wire ^ | Tue May 31, 2016 10:22pm EDT | CINCINNATI | BY GINNY MCCABE

[drewh]

Police may bring criminal charges over a Cincinnati Zoo incident in which a gorilla was killed to rescue a 4-year-old boy who had fallen into its enclosure, a prosecutor said on Tuesday.

The death of Harambe, a 450-pound (200-kg) gorilla, also prompted the animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now to file a negligence complaint on Tuesday against the zoo with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The group is seeking the maximum penalty of $10,000.

The group said in its complaint letter that the child's ability to get past the barrier was proof the zoo was negligent and should be fined for a "clear and fatal violation of the Animal Welfare Act."

Mounting outrage over Saturday's killing of the Western lowland silverback, an endangered species, sparked criticism of both the zoo and the child's parents. Online petitions at change.org drew more than 500,000 signatures demanding "Justice for Harambe."

Cincinnati police are taking a second look at possible criminal charges in the incident after initially saying no one was charged. There was no indication of whether the investigation would focus on the zoo or the child's parents.

"Once their investigation is concluded, they will confer with our office on possible criminal charges," Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said in a statement.

[dr_lew]

It amazes me that we don’t have a hundred of such events to occur each year with nuts trying to climb into some pit with tigers.

But yet, far from a hundred such events per year, we have none for many years. What is lacking in your calculus?

[TheDon]

the child's ability to get past the barrier was proof the zoo was negligent

Absolutely correct. There will be a lawsuit. The zoo endangered the child and killed the animal. That level of negligence will not go unpunished.

[ETL]

You can agree that the zoo did the right thing under the circumstances while still thinking the parents were negligent and need to be held accountable.

There also should not have been any way in the world that a kid could crawl into the exhibit.

[FateAmenableToChange]

Most could not answer correctly, but they’d all know the name of this gorilla.

But they will forget even that name within three months as they move on to their next crusade of hate.

[jazzlite]

...”You think maybe the gorilla was really trying to kill the child but that due to the valiant efforts of the zoo personnel, he didn’t have enough time? How long do you think it would take a male gorilla to kill a child??”...

Well, I read that the gorilla crushed a coconut with his bare hands. I suppose that little boy’s head would have been much easier to crush. It is depressing to live in a world where a very small percentage of the people humanize animals and demonize people and then get coverage like this to give the impression that they are some kind of huge majority in the US. I am guessing that the reality is quite the opposite. Reality. Now, there is a concept that has escaped the media in this nation for a long time.

[grania]

if the child had been killed BLM would have protested

I wondered about the zoo not wanting to take any chance at all of the child being killed, thus they didn't try to save the gorilla.

I understand that once the toddler was in the gorilla's grasp, there wasn't much choice. But I do wonder about the other aspects....no attendant at the viewing area, too-easy access to the enclosure, a parent not holding a toddler's hand.

The zoo around here has some enclosures like this one where not only could someone get in, but if so inclined people could throw things in. It doesn't really make much sense.

[Vinnie]

The parent’s fault. Lack of supervision.

[ETL]

Gorillas are the least violent of all the apes. Some years ago another little boy fell into an enclosure and one of the gorillas actually picked the kid up, cradled him, brought him to the door and waited for the zoo workers. Throughout he kept the other gorillas away from inspecting the kid.

Story below...

” 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

[ETL]

Just ran a search for that other little boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure in 1986 and found this...

‘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]

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

[pepsionice]

My theory is that the Kadashian-Disorder, the trans-Disorder, or the BLM-Disorder...appears to prevail over the Tiger-Disorder. Thus we are saved from slaughtering a hundred-odd tigers a year when people would be jumping off into the pit with them.

[DungeonMaster]

They should have shot the other gorillas for aiding and abetting.

[submarinerswife]

I absolutely agree. Jack Hanna, former director of the Cincinnati zoo, knows the consequences of waiting much better than a bunch of morons on Twitter.

He said in a interveiw with Fox that he has a house in Africa 2 miles from lowland gorillas.. His work on these animals is to be trusted.

[submarinerswife]

I am so wrong about Jack Hanna being the former director of the cinnci zoo, he is director of Columbus zoo.

[SaraJohnson]

Animal rights wackos want to put zoos out of business.