Do you find fault in the recent incident where a 17 year old gorilla was shot dead to protect a 4 year old boy that had climbed into the gorilla's enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo?

I wasn’t there, but I can’t help but find fault with the parents for not adequately supervising a 4 year old.

I agree with @syz – the parents are the ones to criticize.

Not the zoo people. The rule is to protect humans no matter what. They were following long established protocol. Sleep dart or bullet – that can be debated, based on how long it would take for the tranq to take effect. My guess is that someone made a judgment call.

I am not a zoologist, I am not a zookeeper, and I am not going to second guess the people that were there.

But the parents are clearly the ones at fault.

I’m sick of internet pitchfork/outrage/witchhunt culture. It happened, it sucks, let’s try to figure out how to not have it happen again, but crucifying that mother isn’t going to bring the gorilla back.

Similar question was asked by @Dutchess yesterday. Take a look at it for more opinions.

I think the zoo needs to look at its enclosure designs. Yes the parents should take responsibility for controlling their children but it seems like it was way too easy for the kid to get in there as far as I can see.

The only way to prevent this from happening ever is to close all zoos to the public. There’s always going to be some idiot not watching their kids. There’s always going to be some stupid teenager trying to get a laugh. There’s always going to be some drunk dumbass that wants to cuddle a tiger.

This particular enclosure was completely breach-free for 38 years. This one person didn’t watch their kid. The kid who said, loud enough for people not involved in the conversation to hear, that he was going in.

Here’s a list of 13 other morons who jumped the zoo fence.

Evidence in place: The enclosure was not adequately designed to keep observers out. Unauthorized people (often small children) make their way into zoo enclosures sometimes.
Better barriers would drastically cut that down. Unless anyone here was actually there and knows the family, there is no rational call for retribution against the mother. You just don’t know.
And all of you who have never raised children: Really? You believe you are qualified to judge? Not so.
And if the gorilla, who was agitated, had seriously injured or killed the child with the dragging-through-the-water action because the zoo staff had opted for a trank that didn’t work quickly enough?
This is a tragic event. Not a cause for blame and a witch hunt.

Improve the barriers.

Sorry, @jca, I didn’t see that question.
I skip over a lot of questions without a specific topic that seem to have preconceived agenda.

I was trying to form a thoughtful discussion question, not place blame.

My personal knee-jerk was that I was appalled this incident was physically possible. That the animals weren’t more protected from the people.
Then I wrote the question.

@canidmajor – Improve the barriers?

Let’s see, there’s a fence, a wire fence, a hedgerow, a 15 foot wall, and a 15 foot moat.

Would you like them to be entirely encased in Plexiglas?

Somehow zoo visitors and their children have managed to stay out of the exhibit since 1978 without trouble, until one person ignored their child.

The mother was taking a picture of the gorillas with four children under her supervision. You don’t take four young children to a location with possible dangers and take your eyes off of them. The mother is at fault. She just had to take a photo instead of enjoying the moment with her kids.

Haven’t really followed the story, but I’m more concerned if the rights of million other species on this planet weigh anywhere near that of the one discussing it here. It can not go on this way. Something’s gotta change.

I blame the mother (and father if he was present but it’s not clear if he was or was not) because ultimately the responsibility for the child or children falls to the parent(s). If the child disappeared for five seconds, the mother should have been looking for him, not taking photos.

I’d never go alone to a zoo with four kids, one being a baby in arms. I’d not likely go alone to a zoo with my one child who is and always was a pretty well behaved child.

I’m going to link Dutchess’ question because it also had interesting discussion on it.

This topic is all over the radio. Consensus for the most part is that the mother should have been more responsible for her child.

I feel like we re beating a dead goriilla here since the question was dealt with ad nauseum but i really hate when people who weren’t there are rushing to judge. I’m so glad there are so many parents and others here who have never made a mistake! What a wonderful world this must be. I’m out.

Previous: http://www.fluther.com/191131/why-is-everyone-immediately-blaming-the-childs-mother/#quip3244823

There are no perfect parents but ultimately the responsibility for a child falls to the parent(s).

@janbb prefers to reserve her judgment for the people judging the irresponsible mother.

Oh, please, @Seek, be realistic. First of all, maybe that exact enclosure has been unbreached, but if the capybara enclosure was entered by a child it would likely go unreported, unless 87 people with cell phones were recording it, posting it and making a huge fucking big deal out of it. I actually witnessed that once, before cell phone videos and Face Book. They secured the enclosure with chicken wire, and gave the family a membership.
And I’m pretty sure that someone who is willing to send her young son into public men’s rooms should not be courting a “pot/kettle” comparison.
There are countless times during the raising of young children when our attention is diverted for a second and…nothing happens. Ever. So we don’t think that our attention was ever off of our child. And that’s just plain not how it works

You’re honestly comparing a toilet to a wild animal exhibit?

You’re honestly naive enough to ask that?
I don’t have access to the statistics, but I think I can it’s a pretty sure bet that more children are hurt in public men’s rooms than in animal enclosures.

Relevant

People are supposed to be in the toilet. They are not supposed to be playing with gorillas.

I don’t think anyone involved in this incident should be stuck with responsibility for this one.

I’ve made mistakes. All parents do. But you can’t tell me that my children survived childhood because they just happened to be lucky. I never forgot I had a child with me and left them in a hot parked car. I never let them out of my site near a busy road, zoo, pool or any other location with hazards. If I had, I’d be responsible!

We make mistakes, but when you are out with your children you know where they are at all times. That’s taking responsibility. It has nothing to do with luck.

It appears folks are answering multiple variants of the real question here. My impression is that the essence of the question is, whether killing the gorilla is justified as an apparently necessary means of saving the child’s life.

My answer to that one is yes.

My first priority is the life of the human child. It comes far ahead of gorillas. It is correct to kill a dangerous animal that is near a child. That is the first answer to the question. After that, we can debate about the responsibility o everyone in allowing this ultimatum to be faced.