Cincinnati Zoo Killing a Gorilla Named Harambe: Was It Justified?

Many (maybe most) of you readers probably have read about the Cincinnati Zoo shooting a gorilla named Harambe on Saturday, May 28, 2016, after a three or four-year-old boy fell into its enclosure. Numerous news sources reported about it, including the Daily Mail, CNN, WLWT, and the Cincinnati Enquirer website.

You may not be interested in my opinion about it based on my very limited information. If so, please stop reading this article now.

First, I am confident that zoo officials who stated that a tranquilizer would not have killed an agitated gorilla fast enough to prevent it from doing harm know more about tranquilizers than most (if not all) of the persons criticizing them. I do support developing better tranquilizers, though.

Second, I am confident that zoo officials know better than most others that if the gorilla intended to kill the boy it could have done so easily during the perhaps ten minutes the boy was in the enclosure with Harambe, and that the gorilla at least part of the time was seeking to protect the boy.

Third, I am confident that zoo officials know better than most that it was necessary to get the boy out quickly and safely. I like to think that there was someone at the zoo that knew the gorilla well enough and that the gorilla knew well enough that the person could have entered the enclosure and coaxed the gorilla into allowing the boy to be removed. But if someone else had entered the enclosure and the gorilla had attacked and injured that person (in a misguided attempt to protect the boy?) or the gorilla had attacked and possibly killed the boy, the zoo may have faced criminal charges. I am trying very hard not to second guess the decision made by persons more knowledgeable than me about the situation.

Fourth, it may not be possible to make every zoo exhibit child proof, but I hope that this incident leads to improvements in safety. And if they give the animals more room to move around, I'd love that, too. 

Last, we often focus on one interesting or unusual story at the expense of all the other news. I hope that the care and compassion shown for this boy and this gorilla help lead us to perhaps see the bigger picture and show more compassion for all God's creatures.

I began writing this article on Memorial Day and am posting it the day after Memorial Day. Maybe reading about this gorilla and boy will give us more incentive to find alternatives to war and violence. Let's all seek to treat everyone and everything with love and compassion.

NOTE: Minor editing was done on this article on May 31, 2016, less than a day after its original posting.