Cincinnati Zoo officials- I think they are heros.

I'm not on Facebook, so this is the only place I have to make comment.

I haven't paid much attention to the news, but heard the story today about the Cincinnati Zoo having to put down a 17 year old gorilla after a 3 year old child fell 15' into the moat with the gorilla.

I can't believe the kinds of things people are saying- that they were irresponsible, that they "murdered" a beautiful animal, that it's endangered, that the gorilla was trying to protect the child, that the parents should be charged, etc. etc. People are getting upset with the zoo for killing the gorilla. PETA's got 100,000 names on a petition.

The video was truly terrifying. It was a 400 lb Silverback Mountain Gorilla. Magnificent animal. But his hands were as big as the child's torso, and he dragged him around the pen and through the water for 10 minutes at velocities that could have ripped the child's leg off.

No one knew this animal better than the zoo staff. No one loved this animal or cared more for it than the zoo staff. The emergency response team included handlers, veterinarians, and security people, and they made a very, very tough call. They saved a child's life, and I admire them.

Just want to counter some of the whining I've been hearing.

Bravo to the heroes at the Cincinnati Zoo! I wish you peace.

Unfortunate but, I'm with the zoo on this one.

I don't really care.

Thanks for sharing your sermon from high atop your soap box.

In reply to Stefan (Not Bruce):

Thanks for your meaningful contribution to the conversation.

The zoo did the right thing. Some people just need something to bitch about.

runs for the exit

(Copy and pasted from the minor rant thread.)

Say what you want. But if I saw that gorilla dragging that boy around through the water by his ankles like he was, I would have shot it too. I wouldn't care if it was the last berkeleying male gorilla in the world.

Self edit because I'm an shiny happy person, and admittedly crossed some lines.

So what makes the life of a 4 year old human more valuable (one of 7.5 billion) than that of an endangered silverback lowland gorilla (one of maybe a few thousand)?

Is there something inherently special about humans above other primates?

Like I said earlier, I'm done with zoos.

In reply to KyAllroad:

Yes, it's called being a human.

When he was five, my younger son climbed onto a big fake boulder built into a fence at Universal Islands of Adventure. He had been climbing rocks for an hour in another climbing area nearby - and it looked the same to him.

It was berkeleying scary when I realized where he stood - with a roller coaster moving toward him. It only took a few seconds of inattention.. seconds.

He missed getting kicked by the feet of passengers on a suspended roller coaster going 50mph, by inches.

So I don't jump to the conclusion that a mom's an shiny happy person because she didn't see her four year old wander off. It can happen to anyone. They will wander.

I applaud the zoo for killing their star attraction to save the boy. Sucks to have to make that choice but I agree they did what had to be done.

And I love animals. They're delicious.

175,000 remain alive, per CNN

OHSCrifle wrote: 175,000 remain alive, per CNN

That is probably less than the number of human babies born since noon.

On a side note... I wonder if silverback is better smoked or marinated? They shouldn't waste it but a 17 year old is probably getting pretty tough. No way you just bbq that.

Nick (LUCAS) Comstock wrote: In reply to KyAllroad: Yes, it's called being a human.

So what? aside from cellphones, E36 M3 music, and that we strive to protect the weakest and dumbest of our species more than any other members, what does that really mean? We're a virus with starbucks and iphones.

In reply to revrico:

I'll bet you are great fun at dinner parties.

In reply to revrico:

You are mistaken.

Zoos are not designed to keep people away from animals. They are designed to keep animals away from people.

In reply to revrico:

This thread has the most potential of any in recent memory of getting someone banned. I have said my piece on it and am not going to continue anymore on the subject.

I am more than happy to continue the conversation off the forum. If you really want to know more about my position on the situation feel free to PM me and we can continue the discussion.

I don't know......I haven't seen the whole video only the little blurbs on the news but from what I saw the gorilla doesn't seen enraged or even mad. The dragging in the water looks bad definitely.

Gorillas are pretty big and strong. 4 year olds are pretty frail. I gotta admit the logical side of my mind thinks that if a large gorilla meant harm to a weaker lifeform it would have done so in the 10 min the kid was in there.

Not knowing a lot about animal tranquilizers here but I think the gorilla would have reacted ok to tranking it rather than killing it but I assume the edged way on the side of caution.

But hey, at least we got something on the newsbesides bathrooms lol

Nick (LUCAS) Comstock wrote: This thread has the most potential of any in recent memory of getting someone banned.

That makes me sad.

It's kinda tough trying to say something nice about someone and finding someone else feels the need to come in and E36 M3 in the punch bowl.

Maybe you are right.

In reply to Antihero:

Do you think a 400 lb gorilla would need to be enraged to harm a 4 year old child? Those videos look like it was a fortunate accident that he didn't smash the child into a pulp, rip his leg off, or drown him.

I don't think intent has anything to do with it (or even if gorillas are capable of intent). The child was in imminent harm.

In reply to SVreX:

It's a polarizing issue. One that I feel very strongly about. One that I can see myself getting very angry about. I have proven in the past that I lack the self control to not go too far on topics like this. I think it's worthy of the discussion, just not here.

Nobody needs to get banned. But this is a volatile subject that deserves kid gloves.

I'd recommend dropping the whole thing.

I'm just angry and it's coming out here where it shouldn't. I'm not even necessarily angry about this, at least not any more than anything else that will make life annoying and polarize more people, which there seem to be more of that happening more often. It's not even personally against you guys, just spilling over.

2 weeks ago it was bathrooms, and then that all died down, 2 weeks before that it was still the majority of the nations primaries and that had everything going on, 2 weeks before that another "unsavory interaction" between LEO and civvies, every 2 weeks something strange, polarizing, and more than anything annoying seems to come up and it's getting old. People are gonna fight about this for two weeks, then some idiot will blow up another tractor or someone will decide to play frogger at a race track, and everyone will be up in arms about that until the next distraction comes along.

Sometimes things pile up and pile over. I generally try to keep my feelings about such things in the rant thread where it spilled over from.

On an aside, my dinner parties are quite fun. Usually way to much food and way to much beer, but I think in all the years only 2 fights have broken out, by uninvited tagalongs willingly and knowingly destroying property. Seriously, what Nobel Laureate thinks showing up, drinking all the booze, and smashing windows is a good time at a party? I'm all for breaking stuff but come on.

https://aboveaverage.com/disaster-harambe-the-gorilla-mauled-by-cecil-the-lion-in-animal-heaven/

I think I'm a pretty good dad. But I was working on my rubber tire backhoe (it was running) in the yard one day and one of my kids who was about three or four managed to climb up the back (the business end) and was pulling himself into the cab with the joy sticks. I tore him off his spot just before he was crushed to death by the swinging boom. Makes me sick remembering, and I don't blame those parents at the zoo.

And my dad told me when I was learning to drive never to swerve for an animal. I take that with a grain of salt but on the whole it was good advice. If one individual wants to sacrifice their life for that of an animal they can fill their boots. But to tell the zoo sharpshooter to choose the animal over the human is not even a tough call.