Grrrr! Makes me so mad! I sure hope child protection looks into that family as the parents were obviously neglecting the child that it was able to get through!
Indeed. It is a sad commentary on how much our modern society looks and acts exactly like Rome–which also had captive animals, and killed thousands of animals every year, just for entertainment.
Just as with Sea World, people need to stop visiting this places. Zoos make a big thing of how they “help wildlife, with breeding programs, etc. Wouldn’t it be far more enlightened to just protect wild habitat and the animals that still remain in the wild, instead of kidnapping them for zoos and circuses? http://www.foranimals.org
Yes, the burning question I have is that if Harumbe was so important to the future of the species, why isn’t he kept away from the danger of an unpredictable public? Because he’s a money maker. Very sad. No matter how zoos proclaim otherwise, preserving endangered species is not their first priority – making money is.
This is so very, very sad. No matter how guilty people are in these incidents, the animals are the ones who suffer. In this case we have a magnificent gorilla held captive so his puny primate cousins could gawk at him. Then one of those insignificant primates, through stupid or irresponsible behavior, ends up at risk in the gorilla’s enclosure. Of course, the innocent gorilla is the one who must pay with his life.
Ii spent the afternoon reading the comments in the news stories. Most of the responders are outraged at Harambe’s death and want the mother and the zoo held accountable. There is a memorial service planned for him.
But anger at the injustice, blame and shame for those involved, and even the memorial will not bring him back. Every such instance of animals suffering for bad human behavior reinforces the injustice of it all and leaves those who care frustrated beyond words.
So I did what I usually do when an innocent dies at our hands–try to help the living. I adopted a silverback gorilla in Harambe’s name. Peace and joy to him now in the spirit world.
The more I think about it, I think the zoo should be held accountable, and made to make their fencing and barriers more than simply ‘adequate’. If a 3-year old can figure out how to get beyond them, something is definitely wrong. We can’t always expect that people are going to always follow posted rules, never make mistakes, or even if they are in their right mind, with one person who willingly jumped into a tiger enclosure recently, (or drunken fools entering a zoo in CA after hours to torment a tiger, one fell in, was ripped to shreds, and yet the animal still had to be shot!). It is up to the zoo, who invites the public to their exhibits, to ensure that proper protections are in place. Simply adequate is not good enough, when the increasingly endangered animals always have to pay the price, no matter what humans do. Is anything we ever do wrong? I demand that this zoo redo their protections, not just put up ‘a couple more’ warning signs, and I hope a lawsuit makes sure that they do. Just throwing up their hands and saying ‘we couldn’t do anything else under the circumstances’ is not good enough. They are required by law to do better, not fall back on weak USDA recommendations, which is all they are, recommendations – they could do better than just the required, but they don’t want to spend the money. Spend it on proper protections ahead of time, or a negligence suit and punitive damages after. Nobody has the foresight to get that concept, it seems.
I think it was found in that drunken fool tiger case that the fencing was not up to regulation. At least the tiger got her licks in before she was shot.
No offense taken here! Harambe died for absolutely nothing he did, and it is infuriating that there could be no consequences.
I fully agree, the zoo should be held accountable, and not just for having an inadequate barrier. Why do they put captive gorillas on display for the public? This is just one more egregious example exposing the zoo’s game that they are conservation organizations.
I just signed change.org’s petition, “United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): Fire Thane Maynard & Shut Down Cincinnati Zoo and All Zoos.”
Here’s the link:
The gorilla was not going to harm the child, he was investigating a disturbance (as is his role in the troop) and was checking the child’s response. He was pulling the child away because of the loud noise, he felt threatened and thought, by extension, the child was in danger too. There was no justification for lethal force. None.
There was another moron in Santiago who decided to commit suicide by lion. He jumped into the enclosure, stripped and shouted things about Jesus before they attacked him. He survived, but two of the lions were shot dead retrieving him.
A Chinese man attempted suicide by wolf in Hefei, only to wind up with both legs broken and the wolves fleeing to the other side of the enclosure to get away from the intruder.
I hadn’t read about the lions in the Chilean zoo, but what a tragi-comedy – the zookeepers actually hit the damn fool with the tranquilizer dart, and not the lions! I guess there’s a poetic justice in that. How terribly unfair that those poor animals are subject to abuse, substandard conditions, inadequate safety measures, and then have to be killed for a suicidal person.
When you sift through all the spin, double speak, wagon circling and ass covering, what stands out glaringly is that they’ve had the same fencing in place since 1978!!!! Surely there are better, safer barriers today, and I’ll bet that what they’ve got now has fallen into disrepair. Aren’t zoos supposed to be inspected by the USDA? If there is an investigation, I’ll also bet that there are numerous violations. Despite what the zoos arrogant mouthpiece cavalierly says, that fencing is probably going to be updated. Maybe the Board of Directors will fire his ass too.
So tragic!!!! Absolutely no excuse to justify this!! RIP to this precious soul and also the two lions who mauled a guy (apparent suicide attempt) that jumped in to their enclosure. Just no words!!
Exposing the Big Game 
Grrrr! Makes me so mad! I sure hope child protection looks into that family as the parents were obviously neglecting the child that it was able to get through!
Indeed. It is a sad commentary on how much our modern society looks and acts exactly like Rome–which also had captive animals, and killed thousands of animals every year, just for entertainment.
Just as with Sea World, people need to stop visiting this places. Zoos make a big thing of how they “help wildlife, with breeding programs, etc. Wouldn’t it be far more enlightened to just protect wild habitat and the animals that still remain in the wild, instead of kidnapping them for zoos and circuses?
http://www.foranimals.org
Yes, the burning question I have is that if Harumbe was so important to the future of the species, why isn’t he kept away from the danger of an unpredictable public? Because he’s a money maker. Very sad. No matter how zoos proclaim otherwise, preserving endangered species is not their first priority – making money is.
This is so very, very sad. No matter how guilty people are in these incidents, the animals are the ones who suffer. In this case we have a magnificent gorilla held captive so his puny primate cousins could gawk at him. Then one of those insignificant primates, through stupid or irresponsible behavior, ends up at risk in the gorilla’s enclosure. Of course, the innocent gorilla is the one who must pay with his life.
Ii spent the afternoon reading the comments in the news stories. Most of the responders are outraged at Harambe’s death and want the mother and the zoo held accountable. There is a memorial service planned for him.
But anger at the injustice, blame and shame for those involved, and even the memorial will not bring him back. Every such instance of animals suffering for bad human behavior reinforces the injustice of it all and leaves those who care frustrated beyond words.
So I did what I usually do when an innocent dies at our hands–try to help the living. I adopted a silverback gorilla in Harambe’s name. Peace and joy to him now in the spirit world.
The more I think about it, I think the zoo should be held accountable, and made to make their fencing and barriers more than simply ‘adequate’. If a 3-year old can figure out how to get beyond them, something is definitely wrong. We can’t always expect that people are going to always follow posted rules, never make mistakes, or even if they are in their right mind, with one person who willingly jumped into a tiger enclosure recently, (or drunken fools entering a zoo in CA after hours to torment a tiger, one fell in, was ripped to shreds, and yet the animal still had to be shot!). It is up to the zoo, who invites the public to their exhibits, to ensure that proper protections are in place. Simply adequate is not good enough, when the increasingly endangered animals always have to pay the price, no matter what humans do. Is anything we ever do wrong? I demand that this zoo redo their protections, not just put up ‘a couple more’ warning signs, and I hope a lawsuit makes sure that they do. Just throwing up their hands and saying ‘we couldn’t do anything else under the circumstances’ is not good enough. They are required by law to do better, not fall back on weak USDA recommendations, which is all they are, recommendations – they could do better than just the required, but they don’t want to spend the money. Spend it on proper protections ahead of time, or a negligence suit and punitive damages after. Nobody has the foresight to get that concept, it seems.
I think it was found in that drunken fool tiger case that the fencing was not up to regulation. At least the tiger got her licks in before she was shot.
A hail of gunfire, oy:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2011/02/tiger-maul-teens-san-francisco-zoo-provoked-report.html
Good!
My reply ended up in the wrong place! I meant “good” that the tiger got even, not that he/she died in the gunfire.
The more I think about this the more I want to beat the shit out of 4 year old and his mother. I am sorry, if I am offending you with my opinion.
No offense taken here! Harambe died for absolutely nothing he did, and it is infuriating that there could be no consequences.
I fully agree, the zoo should be held accountable, and not just for having an inadequate barrier. Why do they put captive gorillas on display for the public? This is just one more egregious example exposing the zoo’s game that they are conservation organizations.
I just signed change.org’s petition, “United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): Fire Thane Maynard & Shut Down Cincinnati Zoo and All Zoos.”
Here’s the link:
https://www.change.org/p/united-states-department-of-agriculture-usda-fire-thane-maynard-shut-down-cincinnati-zoo-and-all-zoos
Thanks for the link Marc
The gorilla was not going to harm the child, he was investigating a disturbance (as is his role in the troop) and was checking the child’s response. He was pulling the child away because of the loud noise, he felt threatened and thought, by extension, the child was in danger too. There was no justification for lethal force. None.
There was another moron in Santiago who decided to commit suicide by lion. He jumped into the enclosure, stripped and shouted things about Jesus before they attacked him. He survived, but two of the lions were shot dead retrieving him.
A Chinese man attempted suicide by wolf in Hefei, only to wind up with both legs broken and the wolves fleeing to the other side of the enclosure to get away from the intruder.
They shouldn’t have killed the lions. I suppose they were saving human remains from “desecration.” Give me a break!
I hadn’t read about the lions in the Chilean zoo, but what a tragi-comedy – the zookeepers actually hit the damn fool with the tranquilizer dart, and not the lions! I guess there’s a poetic justice in that. How terribly unfair that those poor animals are subject to abuse, substandard conditions, inadequate safety measures, and then have to be killed for a suicidal person.
http://www.canada.com/news/lions+shot+dead+chile+after+suicidal+taunts+creatures+into/11939531/story.html
When you sift through all the spin, double speak, wagon circling and ass covering, what stands out glaringly is that they’ve had the same fencing in place since 1978!!!! Surely there are better, safer barriers today, and I’ll bet that what they’ve got now has fallen into disrepair. Aren’t zoos supposed to be inspected by the USDA? If there is an investigation, I’ll also bet that there are numerous violations. Despite what the zoos arrogant mouthpiece cavalierly says, that fencing is probably going to be updated. Maybe the Board of Directors will fire his ass too.
So tragic!!!! Absolutely no excuse to justify this!! RIP to this precious soul and also the two lions who mauled a guy (apparent suicide attempt) that jumped in to their enclosure. Just no words!!
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