Amanda O’Donoghue: Zookeeper Defends Killing Of Harambe The Gorilla, Offers Brutally Honest Reason For Shooting


By now, most Americans have probably heard about the horrific incident that took place at the Cincinnati Zoo over the weekend. The incident has sparked a nationwide debate about whether zookeepers at the Cincinnati Zoo had probable cause to kill the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe. As expected, the incident has received mixed opinions, as some Americans believe Harambe was killed as a result of the parents’ seemingly careless actions.

In fact, many social media users have taken to Twitter and Facebook with memes in response to the highly publicized shooting. The Cincinnati Zoo has received overwhelming backlash for the seemingly impulsive decision to kill Harambe.

Some people have even blamed the boy’s mother, Michelle Gregg, who also had her three other children with her at the time. Since the 4-year-old boy, now identified as Isaiah Dickerson, was reportedly left unattended at the time he fell into the enclosure, many angry social media users have blasted Gregg for her alleged failure to properly supervise her son.

Now, a former zookeeper has decided to share her perspective of the entire ordeal via Facebook. Due to the overwhelming backlash the Cincinnati Zoo has received, Amanda O’Donoghue has opted to share an in-depth post explaining the true nature of gorillas like Harambe, according to Yahoo News. Although gorillas are often described as human-like animals and “gentle giants,” O’Donoghue doesn’t want anyone to be fooled by the stereotypes, because gorillas like 450-pound Harambe can be very dangerous despite the deceptive footage. In the enlightening post, which has now gone viral on Facebook, O’Donoghue defends the Cincinnati Zoo.

“Now Gorillas are considered ‘gentle giants’ at least when compared with their more aggressive cousins, the chimpanzee. But a 400-plus-pound male in his prime is as strong as roughly 10 adult humans. What can you bench press? OK, now multiply that number by 10. An adult male silverback gorilla has one job, to protect his group… Gorillas are considered a Class 1 mammal, the most dangerous class of mammals in the animal kingdom, again, merely due to their size and strength.”silverback gorilla has one job, to protect his group… Gorillas are considered a Class 1 mammal, the most dangerous class of mammals in the animal kingdom, again, merely due to their size and strength.”

She also shed light on a number of different scenarios that could have caused the boy to be badly injured or even killed if zookeepers had only attempted to immobilize Harambe instead of following protocol to subdue him.

“They didn’t use Tranquilizers for a few reasons, A. Harambe would’ve taken too long to become immobilized, and could have really injured the child in the process as the drugs used may not work quickly enough depending on the stress of the situation and the dose B. Harambe would’ve have drowned in the moat if immobilized in the water, and possibly fallen on the boy trapping him and drowning him as well.”

For those who missed it, footage of the disturbing incident involving Harambe and the four-year-old boy surfaced online over the weekend. The harrowing clip captured Harambe dragging the boy through a moat at the zoo as he screamed in terror. At one point in the video, it appeared as if Harambe was attempting to “protect” the boy, but O’Donoghue has made it clear that probably wasn’t the case.

“I keep hearing that the Gorilla was trying to protect the boy. I do not find this to be true. Harambe reaches for the boys hands and arms, but only to position the child better for his own displaying purposes,” O’Donoghue explained.

If you haven’t seen the clip, you can watch it below:

Warning: This video contains graphic footage that may be highly offensive or disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

Amanda O’Donoghue’s post has gone viral with more than 400,000 shares in less than 24 hours. Do you agree or disagree with the Cincinnati Zoo’s decision to kill Harambe, or is the boy’s mother to blame for the gorilla’s death? Share your thoughts.

[Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images]

Share this article: Amanda O’Donoghue: Zookeeper Defends Killing Of Harambe The Gorilla, Offers Brutally Honest Reason For Shooting
More from Inquisitr