By now most of the world knows the name Harambe. The silver
back gorilla Harambe was shot and killed because it was perceived that it was a
danger to a child that had fallen into Harambes enclosure. I have seen
multiple videos on what occurred (all were edited) and this is my opinion on
the matter.
For one, that child should never have been
able to fall into the enclosure to begin with. I do not understand how a
modern zoo enclosure is capable of being penetrated by a child. I do not
entirely leave the parent of the child blameless in this as any parent has
looked away only briefly to find their kid doing something they are not
supposed to do. However it is obvious to me we have a zoo enclosure
problem.
Now as to what happened after when the
child had fallen in. I am not the zoo keepers. I do not know how
that gorilla reacts to various stimulus let alone a crowd making a lot of noise
and panic after a child falls into a silver back gorilla enclosure. I
have seen video of the gorilla agitated and also calm in the videos I watched.
As such the zoo keepers get the benefit of the doubt with respect to do,
and thus unfortunately made the right decision.
Final Thought: We now have activists calling for
the complete shutdown of zoos and some more moderate people calling for
gorillas in general to be released back into the wild. Zoos however serve
a purpose. They are designed (at least currently) to support awareness
and money for programs for conservation, studying animals in ways that cannot
be done in the wild, and even act as endangered species breeding centers.
We need zoos, and enclosures can be designed in ways that maximize space
for the animals to mimic their natural environment and habits, while at the
same time keeping the general public out of the enclosure itself and thus
ensuring the safety of both the animals and the people visiting. For
animals that are too old or need freedom, a preserve can be set up to protect
them. Harambes death does not have to be in vain.
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