Will Death Of Cincinnati Zoo’s Harambe Make Others Reform The ‘Next Generation Zoo’ Design?


Following the incident where a boy fell into an enclosure in Cincinnati Zoo, leading to the gunning down of Harambe, many experts weighed in on the primate’s behavior as well as the zoo’s design. According to the zoo’s director, Thane Maynard, the boy crawled through a steel barrier and about four feet of bushes.

There were three gorillas in the enclosure, but zookeepers were able to lure the two females away from the boy. Harambe, the 17-year-old primate, did not retreat and opted to stay with the new sight. The zoo’s officials made the difficult decision to shoot him to save the boy. Harambe had just celebrated his birthday a day before.

Jerry Stones, the director of Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, told the New York Daily News that losing Harambe, a “gentle giant,” was “like losing a member of the family.” Stones had been the Silverback’s caretaker from birth until his transition to the zoo.

While Stones said that Harambe was a “sweet cute little guy,” he didn’t contradict the zoo’s decision because the boy was in danger. “It’s a tragic set of circumstances that left a beautiful young gorilla in a situation that was foreign and ultimately ended up being dangerous for him,” he said.

Witnesses said that the boy was telling his mother that he wanted to enter the enclosure. They then heard a splash and were horrified to see the boy already inside Harambe’s abode. A video emerged showing Harambe seemingly shielding the boy from panicked onlookers. The gorilla was also filmed dragging him into the water. Harambe’s death sparked outrage from animal lovers who blamed the boy’s parents.

It was Cincinnati Zoo’s first time to kill one of its animals to address an emergency situation. Last March, two polar bears also wandered into a service hallway because of an open den door. The officials were able to return the bears safely to their holding area within two hours.

The zoo said Harambe was a great loss especially because he was a critically endangered gorilla. Many people brought flowers and letters to memorialize the primate. As per Cincinnati Zoo, Harambe wasn’t attacking the child, but he was in an agitated situation that could have led to him unintentionally hurting the child. Tranquilizers, the officials say, would not have worked immediately.

Cincinnati Zoo is not the only one that follows the “next generation zoo” design. More zoos have been adopting the concept for years not just to give visitors a more “authentic wildlife experience” but most importantly, to let animals roam around as they would in their habitat in the wild.

Singapore Zoo, for example, is famed for its open-concept philosophy, which means that the zoo doesn’t have any visible barriers. For the officials, the real clients when designing a zoo are the animals. They believe that visitors are more capable of understanding conservation messages if they get to see animals in their natural states.

singapore zoo exhibit
Singapore Zoo has attained a strong reputation internationally for its conservation initiatives and breeding programs. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)

While nothing will beat natural living conditions, experts believe that the modern zoo designs give animals a greater freedom of movement. Cincinnati Zoo’s Gorilla World exhibit reportedly exceeds the country’s protocols. The exhibit has been in place for nearly four decades without incident. Even so, the zoo promises to review the exhibit and check if there’s still anything that can be done to reinforce its barrier.

Many are blaming the boys’ parents instead for their alleged negligence. Michelle Gregg, a school administrator, had to defend herself on Facebook.

“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.”

[Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images]

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