Harambe the gorilla: Did he have to die?

On May 28, the Cincinnati Zoo faced a serious problem. A four-year-old child named Isiah Gregg had fallen into the zoo’s gorilla enclosure. Harambe, a 17-year-old silverback gorilla then grabbed the boy and dragged him around by the leg. The boy could have easily suffered life threatening injuries. Zoo officials responded with lethal force and killed the silverback gorilla. 

The story has brought global attention to the Cincinnati zoo. While the zoo has many supporters, they also have just as many non-supporters. I watched the video and support the zoo’s decision. Here is why the zoo made the best decision: 

• A 450 pound silverback gorilla like Harambe could have easily killed the child without using much force. 
• 
  
• Had the gorilla killed the child, authorities would still have been forced to kill Harambe. 

I have read many Facebook posts and articles about this tragedy. I found many of the comments deplorable. People would have rather seen the boy die instead of the gorilla. Really? Valuing a gorilla’s life over a child’s life makes you a shoo-in for a Darwin Award, which goes to Homo sapiens with an I.Q. that can fit into a bottle cap. 

Click here to read the entire article.