Anybody who's been following the news will no doubt have heard about Harambe, the 17-year-old silverback gorilla who was shot dead by zookeepers after a four-year-old boy fell 15ft into his enclosure. Cincinnati Zoo stood by its decision to kill the animal and argued that the boy's life was in danger, but a new video has emerged appearing to show the 400lb gorilla holding hands with the boy prior to being shot. What do you think?
The incident has caused widespread outrage among animal rights activists who insist that Harambe was showing no aggression towards the child. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) have criticized the zoo's lack of a second protective barrier around Harambe's habitat and almost 300,000 people have signed a petition to punish the parents for allowing their child to enter the enclosure in the first place. Whoever is responsible, there's no denying that what happened was a tragedy. RIP Harambe.
UPDATE: zookeeper finally explains what Harambe was actually doing with the kid.
Harambe was shot after a four-year-old boy fell into his enclosure
Zookeepers said the boy was in danger but the video seems to show them holding hands
Was he just trying to protect the kid from the crowd? Watch the video and decide for yourself:
The incident has caused widespread outrage among animal rights activists
Cincinnati Zoo has been heavily criticized and so have the boy's parents
RIP Harambe
The heartbreaking incident of Harambe, the 17-year-old silverback gorilla who was shot at Cincinnati Zoo, has led to countless debates on whether he posed a threat to the child who fell into his enclosure. An interesting perspective from a former zookeeper sheds light on the gorilla's behavior.
To gain a deeper understanding of Harambe's actions, it's worth exploring what the experts have to say about this tragic situation.