Animal Expert Jeff Corwin On Death Of Gorilla: ‘Zoos Aren’t Your Babysitter!’


Jeff Corwin is an animal expert and avid nature conservationist perhaps best known for his role as the host and executive producer of television programs The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin’s Quest. And when it comes to the recent death of Harambe, the 17-year-old silverback gorilla who was shot and killed after a child fell into his enclosure, Corwin’s condemnation of negligent parents is swift and sure.

“Zoos aren’t your babysitter.”

For Corwin, the question is not whether or not Harambe should have been shot, which is a matter of controversy. Some have argued that the silverback gorilla was protecting the boy, while others, including animal expert Jack Hanna, says that the Cincinnati Zoo made a hard, but ultimately correct, decision.

For Corwin, the question should be how the child got into the enclosure with the gorilla in the first place.

“That’s the million dollar question,” he said. “How did this little boy slip in this enclosure?”

Furthermore, Corwin says, if there is a lesson to be learned from the horrifying experience of the little boy escaping his mother and entering the enclosure, which ended in the tragedy of the rare gorilla being shot and killed, it’s that parents need to treat zoos and the animals in them with respect.

“Zoos aren’t your babysitter,” Corwin said bluntly in an interview with Boston news station Fox 25.

“Take a break from the cell phone, the selfie stick and the texting. Connect with your children. Be responsible for your children. I don’t think this happened in seconds or minutes. I think this took time for this kid, this little boy to find himself in that situation. Ultimately it’s the gorilla that’s paid this price.”

Corwin, like Hanna, dismissed criticism directed toward the zoo because of their decision to fatally shoot the Harambe the gorilla rather than utilizing a tranquilizer dart. Using a tranquilizer, Corwin says, wasn’t really an option in this situation, which was life-and-death, according to many witnesses.

“It can take some significant time before an animal is sedated—as big as a 400 pound gorilla,” explained Corwin. “It can take anywhere from ten to fifteen minutes. It may take multiple shots. I think that’s a risk they weren’t willing to take.”

His sentiment echoed that of Jack Hanna.

“No one loves gorillas more than the Columbus Zoo, the Cincinnati Zoo, and the zoo world. We have given millions of dollars to preserve these animals,” Hanna said earlier, adding that the commotion from bystanders probably agitated the animal, in an interview with ABC News.

The mother of the boy, Michelle Gregg, addressed the controversy over her child escaping under her watch and into the gorilla’s enclosure.

Gregg has faced massive criticism for what many perceive as a parenting failure that resulted in a tragedy. But, Gregg says, “accidents happen.”

“For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media, that was my soon that fell into the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him.

“My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes…no broken bones or internal injuries.

“As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today.”

An online petition signed by more than 300,000 people has been created that calls for Gregg to be held accountable for Harambe’s death. And the internet has expressed outrage over the death of the gorilla, blaming it on the negligence of the child’s parent. Others, however, have defended the mother, admitting that mistakes do happen and reminding others to think of all the moments when they themselves have, perhaps, taken their eyes off of their child for a moment.

What do you think? Is the mother of the child ultimately to blame for the death of Harambe the gorilla? Is Corwin correct in placing the blame directly on the parent by saying, “Zoos aren’t your babysitter”?

[Photos by Gustavo Caballero/Stringer/Getty Images and Wolfgang Kaehler/Light Rocket/Getty Images]

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