Dead Gorilla

[Kwacky]

I take you've all seen the news story about that 4 year old boy who got into the gorilla enclosure?

Not sure what makes me more angry, the fact the boys parents weren't looking after him or the fact his parents will sue the zoo and get a mega payout.

[kingfixer]

They should have shot the kid and not the gorilla !

[Blade]

Don't know much about apart from very tagic to hear thr Gorilla was shot.

The enclosure should have been secure imo but obviously the parents have a lot to answer for and hopefully are prosecuted for neglect if that was the case.

[Perkles]

rumour is they were to busy taking selfies ,not sureif its true.If they sue the zoo they need hanging up

[Cav]

Rumour is they're sh!t parents..

What did the Gorilla do wrong? I haven't seen any footage but allegedly the Gorilla showed signs of being distressed

[Kwacky]

The gorilla did drag the kid around, but anything like that is going to look potentially nasty. From what I've read the kid has very minor injuries. The gorilla didn't display any aggressive behaviour.

[DaytonAndy]

The gorilla may not have been aggressive but could clearly have torn the kid apart in seconds even just trying to play with it. In that situation the only solution was to shoot it unfortunately. I love animals but do feel that human life is more important. It was hardly the kids fault his parents are douchebags! As much as the parents are to blame you would also have to question the zoo as to how the kid managed to get in so quickly?

[Cav]

The kid didn't get in there quickly.. he climbed a wall and went through a thick bush amongst other stuff to get in the enclosure - he then fell off the edge

I think we mollycoddle far too much these days and it was the kids fault, NOT the Gorillas

[DaytonAndy]

Agree it wasn't the gorillas fault but the kid was 4 wasn't he and just doing what all kids do. Don't really think we can find the kid accountable for what happened. For me both the zoo and parents have questions to answer.

[Kwacky]

I think the zoo had a tough choice to make, but shooting it was probably right. A tranquiliser can take time to kick in and the gorilla could have reacted badly and ended up hurting the lad.

[Monty]

Very tough call, but probably the right one

[rocket]

Poor poor parenting skills. I see quite a lot of it when I'm out with harry kids allowed to act as they please as long as they don't bother the parents and it's always someone else's fault. I don't wrap my son in cotton wool but I always have an eye / ear on him to react when he does something I don't approve of. They will probably sue and get loads of money stupid system.

[Monty]

I'm that parent, not enough eyes!

[C00kiemonster]

They were right to shoot the gorilla, sadly the child should have never been there. 10% Zoo's fault for it being climbable, 90% parental fail. Darting the gorilla might have agitated it.

The parents should be sued by the Zoo imo.

[D41]

I think the zoo had a tough choice to make, but shooting it was probably right. A tranquiliser can take time to kick in and the gorilla could have reacted badly and ended up hurting the lad.

Absolutely spot-on assessment. A tranq. can take up to 20 minutes (IIRC) to render the subject incapacitated....that's a human subject of average body weight (160lb male....580lb female, if she is American & even vaguely human). I'm not certain on how long this takes to go into effect on a gorilla but I seem to recall it's about the same time-frame but a larger dose necessary to render the target as a non-threat.
There is a reactionary period before the subject goes fully unconscious when the body will react with a series of uncontrolled spasms and loss of control...things like bodily functions, where you might sh*t your pants because you ignored the rangemaster's advice and had an omelet for breakfast.

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

[Blade]

I'm no expert but that's not how it goes down on wild life programs.

They dart the animal and within a minute the animal is sedated without any spasms or rash reactions.

Saying that I do think it was the right call to shoot the Gorilla. No chances could be taken with the child's safety. But then you can ask the question why is human life worth more than an innocent Gorilla's life ? But I don't want to get into that one

[D41]

There's different tranq.s available for different purposes. In a controlled setting, such as a zoo, they want the animal to go down quickly and without resistance....the time it takes for the effects to wear off is irrelevant. In the wild is another kettle of fish, as the unconscious animal then becomes prey to scavengers....hyenas, SAFC fans, etc.

[Blade]

It's a good job we have a Forum Vet to keep us informed

[D41]

LMFAO!!

Nah....I had to read up on that one!!

[StMarks]

There are too many people on this planet, and Gorillas are an endangered species.
It would be a real shame that a 4yo should die as a result of innocent curiosity & poor parental supervision, but IMHO risking that by attempting to retrieve the child by some non lethal would have been the "correct" decision.