Over Memorial Day weekend, a gorilla named Harambe at the Cincinnati Zoo was shot and killed in order to rescue a child who had slipped into its enclosure. Harambe’s death has led to many debates about how the boy fell into the gorilla enclosure, why the gorilla had to be killed, and the confinement of wild animals in general.
Hundreds of people on social media were quick to point the finger at the mother of the small child who fell into Harambe’s enclosure. Kimberley Ann Perkins O'Connor, who filmed the encounter, said she thinks the boy's mother was distracted for more than a split second, long enough to give him time to find his way into the habitat. O’Connor said that the barrier to the gorilla enclosure wasn’t easily penetrated and that it would take some effort. “Unfortunately, it was a bad situation where a 3-year-old didn't have the attention of his mother for seconds,” she said. “I don't think it was as easy as standing up and falling in. He actually had to climb under something, through some bushes, and then into the moat.”
More than 320,000 people signed an online petition seeking “Justice for Harambe.” After an investigation, an Ohio prosecutor stated this past Monday that the mom would not face charges. "By all accounts, this mother did not act in any way where she presented this child to some harm," Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters said. "She had three other kids with her and turned her back. ... And if anyone doesn't believe a 3-year-old can scamper off very quickly, they’ve never had kids.”