Absolutely, a Child Takes Precedence Over a Gorilla – I Can’t Believe This Needs to Be Stated

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The internet has erupted with calls for #JusticeForHarambe after a tragic incident at the Cincinnati Zoo. Over the weekend, a four-year-old child managed to slip under the safety barrier and fell into the gorilla enclosure. Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla, noticed the boy and, for a solid 10 minutes, dragged him around until zoo officials made the heart-wrenching decision to shoot the gorilla to protect the child.

“The child was being pulled around,” said Tom Richards, the Cincinnati Zoo’s director. “His head was hitting concrete. This was no gentle encounter. The child was in danger,” he explained to The New York Times. Thankfully, the child only suffered a concussion, but the gorilla had the strength to crush a coconut with ease. The zoo staff couldn’t afford to take any risks, especially when the gorilla started to show signs of agitation.

“We are devastated by the loss of Harambe, but the safety of a child was our priority, and our Dangerous Animal Response Team had to act quickly,” Richards stated in a Facebook post about the incident. “Initially, we tried to lure the gorillas out of the exhibit. The two females complied, but Harambe did not. It’s crucial to understand that tranquilizing a 450-pound gorilla wasn’t feasible with the child still in the enclosure. Tranquilizers take several minutes to work, and the child was in serious danger. Moreover, the dart could have agitated the animal and made matters worse.”

The zoo’s professionals made a difficult but necessary decision to prioritize a child’s safety. But instead of focusing on this positive outcome, the internet chose to point fingers at the mother, as if that’s the logical response.

Anyone raising kids knows they can vanish in an instant. It’s alarming that the child got into the gorilla area, but witnesses confirmed it happened in a flash. Yet, here we are, bombarded by the judgments of the so-called Perfect Parents™ on social media.

In reality, even the most vigilant parents can’t keep their eyes on their little ones every second. We’ve all experienced a moment of panic when our child disappears, whether in a grocery store or behind a rack of clothes at a department store. It can happen in a heartbeat, and if you’ve never had that experience, consider yourself lucky — but also recognize it could happen to anyone.

Witness Sarah Jennings remarked to The New York Times that the incident transpired so quickly that the mother wasn’t at fault. “She was with three other kids and had a baby in her arms,” Jennings noted. “The boy got into the pen in the blink of an eye.”

Regardless, the internet was outraged and even launched a petition on Change.org calling for Hamilton County Child Protective Services to investigate the parents. It read: “We the undersigned demand accountability for the lack of supervision that led to Harambe’s death. The child’s safety should be the main concern here, and we believe this negligence may reflect the child’s home situation. We urge an investigation into the home environment to protect the child and his siblings from further parental negligence that could lead to serious harm.”

Really? A child should potentially be taken from his home because a mother lost sight of him for a brief moment at the zoo? Excuse my language, but to everyone who signed this petition — get a grip. You’d risk a child’s well-being over a sad event at the zoo? How about you log off and redirect that energy elsewhere?

In addition to the madness of the petition, suddenly, everyone online became an animal behavior expert. While it’s tragic that Harambe lost his life, it was necessary according to the professionals who understood that a HUMAN CHILD’s life is worth more than that of a gorilla. I can’t believe I even have to say that. We live in a world where people seem to have more empathy for an animal than for a human child.

HE’S FOUR. He wandered into a place he should never have accessed. Thanks to the zoo’s quick response, he’s alive today.

This article was originally published on May 31, 2016. For more insights on parenting and home insemination, check out one of our other blog posts at Intracervical Insemination Blog. If you’re interested in at-home insemination tools, consider visiting Make a Mom, an authority on this subject. For more information on pregnancy and fertility, Medical News Today is an excellent resource.

In summary, the tragic incident of Harambe’s death serves as a reminder of the complexities of parenting and the need for empathy towards both parents and children. The quick decisions made by zoo officials were aimed at ensuring a child’s safety, and while the outrage online may have been misplaced, it highlights the pressures parents face in today’s society.