The Killing of Harambe

Rika Husyana
A1B213256

The world has been shaken by the news of the killing of Harambe, a silverback gorilla, in Cincinnati Zoo after a three years old boy entered its enclosure. It causes a quite uproar and spreads outrage around the globe. While a lot of people are so quick to judge the parents, the others are questioning the zoo safety system.

It is easy to put the blame on the boy’s parents. Zoo is a public place, which means, as parents, you have to always keeping watch on your children’s safety, no matter how harmless you think the place is. Considering zoo is a home for animals and some of them are wild ones, keeping an eye on children, particularly toddler is a necessity. However, toddler is in an active phase. They will not stand still for a long time. No matter how careful you are watching the children, they seem always manage to sneak away. Unfortunately, the sneaking this time resulting in a killing of a one endangered animal.

In another side, the adequateness of the zoo safety system is in question. Even though the height of the safety fence is already up to the international standard, it is still considerably to be too short which is only about 3 feet. With only 3 feet height, the boy could easily climb the barrier and entered the gorilla enclosure. In addition, the zoo did not have security guards around the area which may prevent the boy to climb the fence. The zoo failed to prepare a protocol for this emergency situation. They did not have any preparation which led them to decide killing Harambe, after they failed trying to call the gorillas in from enclosure. Animal experts are also questioning the zoo’s decision to shoot the gorilla. There are some alternatives beside shooting the ape, such as tranquilizing it or distracting its attention with treats. 

The lost of Harambe causes a deep regret for all of us. Not only we lost another innocence soul, but also one endangered animal. Several people put the blame on the parents’ negligence, while the others believe the Cincinnati Zoo has to take the responsibility. However, it will be more beneficial for us to focus on preventing this incident instead of pointing finger.