“A 4-year-old boy was hospitalized with serious injuries and a gorilla was shot dead after officials said the boy climbed through a railing and fell into a moat at the Cincinnati Zoo’s gorilla enclosure,” wlwt.com reports. “A 17-year-old, 400-pound male lowland gorilla, Harambe (above), was shot and killed by the zoo’s dangerous animal response team about 10 minutes after the boy made it into the enclosure. Zoo director Thayne Maynard said that the boy crawled through the railing and fell into the moat just before 4 p.m. Saturday. A Cincinnati fire department incident report says that the gorilla . . .

‘was violently dragging and throwing the child’ when they were called. The child was in between the gorilla’s legs when the gorilla was shot, fire officials said.”

There’s no word on the boy’s condition. Meanwhile remember: when Gorillas attack, the dangerous animal response team is only 10 minutes away.

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111 COMMENTS

  1. Gun owners for child control. Mandatory safe storage laws would make it a crime to leave a child where it can endanger a child.

      • I don’t see why everyone is blaming the parents on this; if a child is able to enter the enclosure it is the Zoo’s fault for not taking appropriate measures to prevent such an occurrence. (Assuming the parents didn’t throw the child into the moat)

        • You’re crazy if you think it’s the zoo fault. It’s 100% solely on the parent. How do you lose contact on your child at a zoo. That’s irresponsible on all degrees. Ppl are so caught up on blaming everyone else without blaming themselves. If I was the zoo, I would sue the parent(s). The mother or father was probably on Facebook or Instagram.

        • Peter is right. The zoo is 100% to blame all the way around. When there is a dangerous potential that some one can get hurt it is the zoo’s responsibility to ensure prevention. The zoo should have had a sufficient barrier to prevent this. If you have to be smarter than the hazard there should be an age limit at the zoo. They are required to plan prevention for every hazard. They chose a rifle instead of guarding. The rifle must have been cheaper. Be mad at the zoo for that. Parents believe their kids are safe in places for kids. Parents that can’t identify the hazard are not the issue its the place presenting the hazard that’s responsible. Last but not least no animals life is greater than any humans. The zoo did the right thig. All of you mentals talking about shooting different people instead of the animal are the problem here and in the world today.

  2. Wait. So CFD made it there from a station outside of zoo grounds before the zoo DART made it to another location inside of the zoo?

    Man. Must be that crazy Cincy firetruck hitting 88mph.

    • The guns are probably kept under lock and key in an admin office with only one set of keys. What could possibly go wrong?

      • Absolutely! The parents or whoever was supervising the child should be held responsible.

      • Does anyone on here actually have kids??? What if the parents, gasp, actually have more than one child to keep an eye on? This line of thinking runs similar to the can’t let your kids play in the backyard if not supervised 100% of the time… While the parents may indeed have been negligent in this case, could just as easily have lost track of jr. for a minute. Unless you put a leash on your kids 4 year olds try to escape and explore!

      • i say put a bullet in the bum who murdered the gorilla put it in his back the guy was a nbk natural born killer people stink free the animals and put these humans in cages

        • The gorilla was maiming a little child when shot. Not a murder even if it was not an animal (that cannot be murdered by definition) but human. Unless you are ape yourself you are rooting for wrong team. Kill yourself to save the planet much?

  4. Where were the parents? And don’t tell me “they turned away for just a split second and he was already into the gorilla enclosure.” B.S.

    Don’t take my guns because people are stupid. Don’t close zoo exhibits because people are stupid. Take reasonable safety precautions and then let nature take its course.

    It’s not the little boy’s fault he was born to morons, but neither can we recalibrate the entire society to the lowest common denominator and expect to succeed.

  5. If the mother was negligent, perhaps she should get a bill for the gorilla.

  8. Too bad we may never know, but I’m curious as to caliber and shot placement.

  9. Shouldn’t the Emergency Response Team have shot the parents for both their stupidity and neglect in allowing their 4 year old to roam free?

    …… and for the life of me I thought that gorilla was named the “First Lady”.

  11. Um… and where were the parents? Perhaps felony child endangerment charges would be in order.

    RIP Gorilla.

  12. I see firearms have a use besides criminal.
    Maybe they should have tried conflict resolution instead.
    Now that a tragedy has occurred can we push for carry in the zoos? If they can wave a bloody shirt we should too.

    • I carried in the zoo, totally legal in Houston.

      I also didn’t let toddlers run free near an enclosure for dangerous animals where they could breach the barriers… crazy right.

      Would’t want to try seven rounds of 9mm hollow points from a short barrel on a male gorilla at range and while completely losing it.

      • I hate to be gruesome about it, that is why I carry the biggest handgun/caliber that I can come close to concealing. In my case, that is a full size Smith and Wesson M&P 40 with a 4.25 inch barrel shooting 180 grain bullets. I can only hope that those 180 grain bullets would be more effective on a large/heavy animal attacker than smaller, lighter 9 mm bullets. More importantly, I hope I never have to find out.

        • That’s the dumbest excuse I’ve ever heard. Like the biggest pocket knife you can carry.

          The only thing realistic about your scenario is your imagination. Please don’t believe everything you see on YouTube.

        • If you’re after the biggest, why not carry a .45? I’d suggest a .50 but you did say concealable. In regards to the 9mm vs .40 debate – there are reasons the FBI switched from the .40 to the 9mm. If you are unaware, then I suggest you Google it. In reality, it’s all about shot placement. You can be shot multiple times with pretty much any caliber and still pose a threat for a short time. If you want instant lights out – you need proper placement and then it can be accomplished by a .38.

        • So Wes you are saying about 45acp 230gr hollow point has the same affect on an attacker as 9mm 147gr hollow point? Are you forgetting about the energy a 45acp has? The punch that round has well knock a man back. Most people don’t carry 45acp because they can’t manage the recoil but it’s definitely a man stopper and it’s all I’ve ever carried and will continue to carry

  13. There’s a certain difficulty in protecting animals or dispensing with them. When Cecil the Lion was shot by the dentist, folks here were all in support (or at least ambivalent) about luring him off the preserve and “hunting” him. The lion (to our knowledge) was not a man-killer.

    Here, a gorilla is likely killing a child, and we’re sending condolences to the gorilla’s family. This stuff is tough to figure out, and it’s particularly difficult to even figure out which principles to stand on in these types of situations.

    I also have a hard time in killing the gorilla. A “time out” and perhaps retraction of his gun rights should have been adequate punishment. Heck, gang bangers get more lenient treatment for serial violent crimes than this gorilla did for defending his turf. Besides, gorillas are endangered – kids, not so much.

    • The full video shows the gorilla dragging the kid to the other side of the enclosure away from the screaming crowd of people who were recording it. He wasn’t being violent from what I saw and the kid is fine no serious injurys. Most from the 20 foot fall.

      • I totally agree. The Mother was completely irresponsible to leave her 4 year old unattended. It wasn’t like the Gorilla climbed up the enclosure and snatched the little boy, the boy climbed thru the enclosure and FELL in??? Additionally, from what I could tell, the Gorilla wasn’t “mauling” the child but appeared to be protecting it – like it would protect one of its own. They drag their young the same way. Shame on the people who made the decision to put this glorious animal down. And SHAME on the Mother & Father who allowed this all to happen. They should not be allowed in ANY Zoo until all their children are 16 years or older – UGH! The boy is fine, perhaps scared, but according to the news, he is just fine. Really urks me when this cruelty is allowed to happen because of the stupidity of a Parent or Adult.

        • We all agree that it’s a shame the animal was shot — but if it were your child in the gorilla’s arms would you accept the risks of using a non-lethal (tranq dart) solution? The zoo said they take several minutes to take effect, and that the animal was agitated.

      • This has happened before. Kid fell in a gorilla enclosure in the UK and the lead silverback male came over and checked him out, touched him gently, then sat down by him, and kept the other gorillas away. When the kid regained consciousness and started to wail, the gorilla moved away and retreated.

        Here is the video:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N05CItceEdg

    • I have seen conflicting information. The article i first saw said that the gorilla had possession of the child for more than ten minutes and wasnt treating it any rougher than it would have a baby gorilla. Stupid media. Hard to know which is correct.

  14. I remember being at our local zoo, and always in threat assessment, wondered aloud as to the type of awesome guns they have in the security office. My step dad began to ponder this too. His eyes life up with joy when I stated it would have to be good enough to kill a lion or an elephant. Not that the thrill of killing a zoo animal amused him or me But he’s an avid African hunter and wondered what arsenal they picked out.

  15. I can’t fault the zoo’s staff erring on the side of caution and putting the animal down. On the other hand, I also recall hearing about past incidents involving kids of a similar age falling into gorilla enclosures in which the animal either protects the child or carries it to the enclosure entrance. Its tough to judge the actions of those involved without seeing actual video of the incident. Terrible situation for all involved.

    • I was thinking the same. As far as I know, gorillas would not be in fear of a small child … although it is hard to tell when they are cooped up all the time without any significant exercise or mental stimulation.

      • Yeah. Now that video’s have started to come out, it does look like the animal was behaving protectively rather than aggressively towards the child. There were probably other options that could have been explored, but if something went wrong and the kid were injured or killed in the process there would be a very different discussion going on in these comments.

  16. A 10 minute response time is unacceptable. Most zoos are GFZs. Imagine if it had been 10 terrorists with rifles. There were obviously either no armed personnel on site, or they were incapable of responding to a foreseeable event that should be trained for regularly. I carry everytime I go to the zoo.

    • An “aspiring rapper” no doubt and an “entrepreneur” who dreamed about being the “first gorilla in space” (the monkeys already got their turn).

      Damn parents, euthanize their worthless asses.

      • Here! Here! If I were the Gladys Porter Zoo, I would NEVER give The Cincinnati Zoo another Animal – heck, they wouldn’t protect it. What the heck were they thinking??? I am totally outraged by this, can you tell??

  18. IMHO the wrong occupant of the ‘cage’ was shot. It’s like someone breaks into my house and wakes me up, I fear for my life and start to defend my residence with a baseball bat, and the cops come in and shoot me for defending my property. WTF! At a minimum the parents of the 4yo idiot should be responsible for replacement cost of the deceased. Why couldn’t they have shot tranquilizers? ? I’m sure some #*&# lawyer is probably contacting the parents to go after the zoo.

    • Not defending the parents here and I like animals and don’t even enjoy the concept of hunting… But F a gorilla. Not worth a moments delay if a child is in danger.

      I’d be fine if they hosed every gorilla in the place with a SAW under these circumstances.

      • Poorly raised children grow up to be criminals, thugs, deadbeats and drains on society. Children are not priceless.

        • A future felon no doubt, better to let the gorilla have his way with him then give the furry guy a giant meal, well after the kid, his favorite dessert.

        • “Children are not priceless.”

          Children can be mass-produced in prodigious quantities by un-skilled labor…

          🙂

  19. So a gorilla had to die because some stupid a** parents failed as parents and didn’t watch their stupid f***ing kid? What a Gret f***ing day! I truly hope some type of charges are filed against those f***tards.

  22. When seconds count, the dangerous animal response team is only 10 minutes away… Conceal carry of a ruger Alaskan should do nicely if you can hit it. That being said, watch your kids, and if you can’t, perhaps stay at home.

  23. For a gorilla, i think being shot by a zookeeper is a better fate than having to live the rest of your life in a damn zoo. Poor thing got its first interesting toy in years and got shot for playing with it. If the gorilla meant harm, they’d still be trying to wash the kids guts out of the enclosure.

    • It is sad to keep animals penned up in zoos. Unfortunately that is the only way most of us can see them, but that doesn’t make it right.

  24. Gentleman, gentleman! I believe the real question here is “gorilla or grizzly bear?!” I say gorilla because of his strong ground and pound!

  25. Were other monkeys forced to witness the carnage? They won’t forget that. This is how Planet of the Apes starts. There will be a day of reckoning with our primate overlords.

  26. Praying for all involved, and for all here.
    I pray for decency to return to everyone.
    This is a tragedy and the responses a travesty.

  28. My baby wasn’t doin nuffin they jes came in der and shot him fer no reezin. POlice shot gorrillas dogs an everyfang too. We’s burnin down dis CVS
    Ma’am we used 9mm +P115gr Speer Gold Dot HP we didn’t actually think it would penetrate or kill the gorilla as we usually miss anyway. We thought the zoo issued them carharts when it is cooler weather.

  29. If the ape were going to kill the kid, he would have been dead 9 1/2 minutes before DART got there, so deadly force seems a bit extreme. At least they exhibited more accuracy than dog-shooting cops and managed to avoid shooting a four year old kid. http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2015/06/19/whitehall-officer-involved-shooting.html

    Now, imagine DART is finally on the scene, what are their options for recovering the child with a 400lb Silverback guarding him? I really don’t know, but shooting the ape with a dart gun seems like a feasible solution.

  30. From the news accounts I saw, nobody said the response time of the ” D.A.R.T. ” was ten minutes, only that at a certin point they decided that shooting became warranted .

    The two females were called out of the enclosure into the rear area and that they tried to get the male to as well, after these type efforts failed the shot order was given .

  31. Head shot? Hopefully the gorilla didn’t suffer. He wasn’t even being violent, but acting more protective. Gorillas aren’t dumb… obviously he knew it was a youngster. If anything, the zoo should sue the idiot parents.

    • I say take the STUPID BRATS AWAY FROM THEIR STUPID IDIOTIC PARENTS PUT THE PARENTS IN PRISON AND THROW AWAY THE KEY….

  32. I’ve seen videos on various websites, none of them showed the gorilla do anything besides calmly stand next to the kid to protect him. The parents should have been the ones who were shot, not the gorilla which was a better human being than most Americans.

    • You need to look for the Breitbart video. The gorilla wasn’t being violent, but he did drag the kid around the way he might do to a baby gorilla. A baby gorilla would not be hurt by that but I could see how the kid could be injured that way.

  33. While I do agree with the sentiment of “where were the parents?”, these statements like shoot the parents make me think the majority of people who post on this site are total A-holes. There aren’t any parents out there who haven’t lost there children at least for a few minutes, other than the parents who keep their kids on leashes. My ex wife and I always kept our kids in view but one time at a small waterpark, a young girl fell and injured herself. The wife and I checked her ankle and helped her to a bench a few feet away and just like that, our young boy was gone. We found him in two minutes or so but a lot can happen in two minutes.
    Yeah, it’s too bad the ape got shot, I hope the 4 year old will be fine, I hope his parents realize they made a huge mistake. Shoot them if they knowingly let their child go there but for losing sight of him!?

  35. The who situation’s very regrettable. I hate to see a beautiful animal die in this manner. He did nothing wrong. However, I understand the staff’s dilemma and their decision to put him down in order to ensure the boy’s safety. Just imagine the outcry and liability issues had they waited and the gorilla had seriously injured or killed the boy. People who go to zoos, especially parents of small children, have a duty to obey the rules and to safeguard their children. These are wild animals…not cartoon characters or stuffed animals..

  36. The sad reality is that the parents are going to sue the zoo for having insufficient barriers that failed to prevent little johnny from getting inside the enclosure. They will ignore the fact that it’s impossible for railings to replace adequate parenting, and the zoo’s insurance and the family will settle out of court for an undisclosed amount of money because it’s cheaper to do that than fight it out in court.

    Fat chance the zoo getting anything positive out of this situation, it’s all negative.

    • SUE THE MORON PARENTS FOR A MURDER THEY PERMITTED TO HAPPEN BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T GOT THE BRAINS GOD GAVE A ROCK. PEOPLE LIKE THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE KIDS….THEY TOOK A BEAUTIFUL ANIMAL AND BECAUSE THEY AS PARENTS CAN’T THINK AND ARE PERMITTED TO STILL BE ALIVE THE POOR ANIMMAL WAS KILLED.

  37. Still want to know exactly and all details of what put the G down–one shot? Instant stop–etc?? DMD

    • My question too. Is this a gun blog? What was the caliber, round, and rifle used to kill the gorilla? Can we get this info?

  38. It was a defensive gun use. Gorilla steaks anyone? Taste like chicken. Jezeus did give us dominion over the wildlife. Also sugar, because then the power, then the women.

  39. In that case you must shoot but if some idiot is on drugs and adult and enter i would NOT shoot the animal !

  40. “Mommy’s right here. Mommy loves you.” Wish Mommy was watching her kid 5 minutes before.

  41. To all those poo-pooing their refusal to use tranq darts,

    Say the gorilla gets hit with one, freaks out, and rapidly carries the kid away to safety out of instinct. The kid flips out/screams, and the gorilla holds on tighter to keep him secure. I get that primates are usually peaceful creatures (when they aren’t at war with each other,) but all this thing knew was its own strength. All that muscle under high stress could have seriously hurt the kid, and the zoo wasn’t willing to take that risk. I’m not surprised they chose the lethal option. As for people all over the internet crying/saying the parents should have been shot instead for being irresponsible, grow up. Placing the lives of non-human animals over your own species is a sign of mental illness.

  42. As a social worker I must say that most of us know a small child at that age does not listen, The parent or parents should have taken him away from that area to protect the child. Was she on her cell, exting or taking pictures. What was she doing. The Gorilla was frightened because everone was screaming and carrying on. This beautiful mafificent creature was killed due to the neglect of the caregiver. Child neglect should not be tolerated. The Gorilla had taken the child as his find and was not hurting him. DO THE PEOPLE REALLY HAVE BRAINS So sad

    • I gave up on people a very long time ago. You are right people have no brains in my book they are to busy with their electronic devices to even know they have a child you they should be responsible for. It is sad….

  43. This is a gun site. What caliber was used to kill it? How many rounds? .308? I am interested in knowing what rifle, caliber, and load was used to kill the gorilla.

  44. Its amusing to listen to the Far Right that claim it was the woman’s fault because she did not beat and torture her son at least twice a day or that from the Far Left Gorilla’s have rights too. The real truth is that the Zoo failed to do what other Zoo’s have done around the world long ago and that is construct better barriers between the people and the animals. Of Course no barrier can stop a determined adult hell bent on climbing into a cage and committing suicide but it sure would have stopped a 3 year old boy. That’s reality but it cannot ever be fathomed by the vicious Far Right or the moronic but well meaning Far Left.

  45. Can we all just take a breath. Regardless of how the kid got in, the gorilla is toast once he moves in on him regardless of intentions. This is a huge powerful beast and not a cartoon or movie character that has been endowed with human qualities. This is a gun website and most of you probably hunt and should know animals are animals and will behave as such. The kid could have drown or had his skull smashed in the shallow moat. Sorry Harambe, but stay away from the human child. As for the parents I will postpone judgement as no one knows how exactly the kid got through. Don’t be so holier than thou. Once your kid can crawl your eyes cannot be on them 24/7. I am not excusing the parents but until the facts are known you are merely speculating. What caliber was used on the gorilla?

  46. Cisco kid, sorry but where does politics fall in here? Left and right are both idiots. You both keep putting tyrants into office for decades. Clintons Bushs Obamas nothing but more war more debt more subjugation. Left wingers come off as if they are so smart and enlightened and open minded when they are the ones who scream the loudest begging to be enslaved.

  50. Had the gorilla simply snapped the lil buck’s neck and then walked away, there would have been no need to shoot.

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