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Cincinnati Zoo Director Defends Decision To Kill Gorilla, Says Viable Sperm Has Been Collected

By Nancy Bailey
Published on: 09:41 PST, May 30, 2016

Cincinnati Zoo director Thayne Maynard explained on Monday why shooting Harambe the gorilla was the right decision.

Zoo officials had elected to kill the 17-year-old male silverback after a child fell into his enclosure on Saturday.

Harambe spent 10 minutes dragging the 3-year-old boy through the water and standing over him, while ignoring calls from zoo staff to leave the child and come out of the exhibit.

The decision to shoot Harambe was “not taken lightly,” according to Maynard, who responded in a press conference to widespread backlash and complaints that other options should have been tried in order to save the animal.

“We stand by our decision, and we’d make the same call today.”

Maynard added that people who second-guess the decision “engage in Monday-morning quarterbacking and do not understand primate biology.”

“It was a life-threatening situation and the silverback gorilla is a very dangerous animal. He would be a very dangerous animal to (adults).”

Maynard described seeing Harambe crack a coconut with one hand. He said that the gorilla had smacked the child’s head against the concrete while dragging him through the enclosure, and that the animal was clearly disoriented.

“When you see clips, you might not see everything that happened. [The boy’s] head was banging on concrete; this was not a gentle thing.”

He admitted that Harambe did not appear to be attacking the child, but according to the Daily Mail, said the fatal shot probably did save the child’s life.

“You’re talking about an animal that’s over 400 pounds and extremely strong. So no, the child wasn’t under attack but all sorts of things could happen in a situation like that. He certainly was at risk.”

“We live in the real world, we make real decisions.”

When asked if he thought the enclosure was safe he replied that it is.

“The exhibit’s safe and the barrier’s safe. That said, any of us in this room could climb over barriers if we choose.”

The zoo will be reviewing the enclosure’s barrier, according to CBC News.

Maynard said the gorilla “certainly is missed” by the zoo community, and that his keepers had nicknamed him, “Handsome Harambe.”

Gorillas are one of the world’s most endangered animals, Maynard said. He added that the zoo’s breeding program is working to boost their population.

The zoo has preserved some of Harambe’s sperm, so that his lineage is not lost.

The boy is reportedly doing fine.

“We are very glad that the little boy is OK; that’s one happy thing in a very bad story.”

In response to heavy criticism for allowing the child to fall into the enclosure, the boy’s mother replied that “accidents happen.”

Dozens of activists held a Memorial Day vigil on Monday at the Cincinnati Zoo, in remembrance of Harambe, according to Newsday.

Activist Anthony Ceta said that the vigil was a tribute to the gorilla, who had just celebrated his 17th birthday on Friday.

“People can shout at the parents and people can shout at the zoo. The fact is that a gorilla that just celebrated his birthday has been killed.”

Maynard agreed that the tragedy is felt by many.

“This is very emotional and people have expressed different feelings. Not everyone shares the same opinion and that’s OK. But we all share the love for animals.”

[Image via Poetic Penguin/Shutterstock]

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