Cincinnati Zoo officials- I think they are heros.

Ultimately, we're all one bad decision or split second of lost impulse control away from a gorilla mauling.

I have real mixed feelings about zoos in general. On one hand, berkeley zoos. On the other hand, lots of conservation efforts have stemmed from the work done with captive animals. I've known several people in the trade and, to a man or woman, their prime concern was the well being and non-exploitation of the animals in their care. I also had a dear friend who was killed by an elephant at the Lowry Park Zoo. It was an animal she had worked with for years and developed a strong bond with.

I'm happy that Sea World is ending their Orca programs. Maybe one day we'll progress beyond the point where the only way to keep other species alive is to keep them in zoos.

In the meantime, hopefully the lesson that comes from this is not new and exciting ways to light torches and head for the monster's castle. Maybe everyone learns lessons about parenthood, animal welfare, and moving past tragedy and making progress.

However, that kid needs to move and change his name or his life will be made a living hell by the other kids every time his school cafeteria serves bananas.

Scope shot of Magilla or it didn't happen.

TRoglodyte wrote: Scope shot of Magilla or it didn't happen.

SVreX wrote: In reply to Marjorie Suddard: A Mandrille is kind of like a gorilla with an orange ass and dork, right?

Uh, we didn't get into that. Mostly discussed his face, and a little baseball.

You apparently have very different conversations with your monkeys.

Margie

They do have a brightly-colored ass, it's hard to miss and of course the brightly-colored face. Dunno about the dork...

Interesting thing I read, that I hadn't thought of - not saying I wouldn't have thought of it, had I been in the situation, but....

Facebooker said: Heres a thought... Dont focus on why the kid got in the gorilla pit, or why they shot the gorilla... That argument is dumb and nobody is right. Heres the flippin solution.... If your kid falls in an animal pit, your ass better be the first thing that gorilla sees. I would have cannon balled into that water and THROWN my child somewhere safe and stood between the animal and my kid. Then the decision is easy... If the gorilla kills me then you can kill the gorilla.... If it doesnt kill me then we all go get ice cream and i tell all my buddies how im a stone cold badass for going toe to toe with a silverback. Either way my child is protected, and thats your NUMBER ONE JOB as a parent. On a side note you know there was some lady walking around the zoo with her kid on one of those leashes going "THE LEASH ISNT SUCH A BAD IDEA AFTER ALL IS IT!?"

Joe Deters (local prosecutor) is supposed to make a decision on Monday. This should be interesting. (He did rule against the UC cop that shot the guy in the car earlier this year.)

RealMiniParker wrote: Interesting thing I read, that I hadn't thought of - not saying I wouldn't have thought of it, had I been in the situation, but....

Facebooker said: Heres a thought... Dont focus on why the kid got in the gorilla pit, or why they shot the gorilla... That argument is dumb and nobody is right. Heres the flippin solution.... If your kid falls in an animal pit, your ass better be the first thing that gorilla sees. I would have cannon balled into that water and THROWN my child somewhere safe and stood between the animal and my kid. Then the decision is easy... If the gorilla kills me then you can kill the gorilla.... If it doesnt kill me then we all go get ice cream and i tell all my buddies how im a stone cold badass for going toe to toe with a silverback. Either way my child is protected, and thats your NUMBER ONE JOB as a parent. On a side note you know there was some lady walking around the zoo with her kid on one of those leashes going "THE LEASH ISNT SUCH A BAD IDEA AFTER ALL IS IT!?"

Screw that - you can always make more kids (or kidnap them from Walmart).

You only get one you. I ain't fighting a Silverback in his own cage - the kid is on his own! I might just shoot the ape myself though. I'm atleast prepared for that much. Not fair, or very sporting of me I know... but the poor bastard has lived his whole life in a cage. He is probably ready to go.

In reply to Huckleberry:

RealMiniParker wrote: Interesting thing I read, that I hadn't thought of - not saying I wouldn't have thought of it, had I been in the situation, but....

Facebooker said: Heres a thought... Dont focus on why the kid got in the gorilla pit, or why they shot the gorilla... That argument is dumb and nobody is right. Heres the flippin solution.... If your kid falls in an animal pit, your ass better be the first thing that gorilla sees. I would have cannon balled into that water and THROWN my child somewhere safe and stood between the animal and my kid. Then the decision is easy... If the gorilla kills me then you can kill the gorilla.... If it doesnt kill me then we all go get ice cream and i tell all my buddies how im a stone cold badass for going toe to toe with a silverback. Either way my child is protected, and thats your NUMBER ONE JOB as a parent. On a side note you know there was some lady walking around the zoo with her kid on one of those leashes going "THE LEASH ISNT SUCH A BAD IDEA AFTER ALL IS IT!?"

Interesting sentiment, but I only see 3 dead bodies (1 adult, 1 child, and a shot gorilla).

That kind of stupid ass maneuver would most certainly have been seen by the gorilla as an aggressive act.

Did you see how fast that freakin thing moved?

Poor taste?

From what i read, the gorilla was posturing and displaying, which presented a real danger to the kid. Zoo officials were worried about several things with tranquilizer darts. Spooking am already upset gorilla by shooting it. The gorilla and or the child drowning when the gorilla fell from the juice. And what kind of time they had to get it to work. It sucks that the gorilla had to be shot, but i believe zoo officials did what they had to. Im gonna leave it at that, because the rest of what i read about mon made me seriously question her ability to parent, and im not travelling that road.

In reply to mndsm:

Yeah, I read he was "displaying", too, in that he didn't really see the child much as a living thing, but more like something to throw around. I'm honestly surprised he didn't rip the kid's leg off, the way he was hauling ass around his pen, dragging him behind.

In reply to RealMiniParker:

Exactly. He could have given two E36 M3s about who or what that child was. Zoo officials had no time to act, as the end of the display generally involves smashing whatever is on display, and last i checked, making goo out of a live child is bad for business.

Has anyone asked where the zookeepers got the gun? Is that standard zoo material (materiel?), or am I thinking of Indiana jones?

It was the Dangerous Animal Response Team. 14 members of the zoo staff, all trained specialists in firearms.

Article on zoo's DART

I think they had a gun.

Mitchell wrote: Has anyone asked where the zookeepers got the gun? Is that standard zoo material (materiel?), or am I thinking of Indiana jones?

The zoo had Dr. Walter Palmer on stand-by.

Mitchell wrote: Has anyone asked where the zookeepers got the gun? Is that standard zoo material (materiel?), or am I thinking of Indiana jones?

Its Cincinnati. Probably free with admission.

Well... things could have been worse. They could have been changing him in the monkey cage.

I'll bet that hurt.

NickD wrote: Poor taste?

Jerry wrote: Joe Deters (local prosecutor) is supposed to make a decision on Monday. This should be interesting. (He did rule against the UC cop that shot the guy in the car earlier this year.)

Nope, mom is in the clear. Not surprised, accountability/responsibility for your actions went away many years ago.

Wall-e wrote:

NickD wrote: Poor taste?

Hah, even better!