On Harambe

I would like to discuss a particularly controversial topic in the world of zoology these days – the death of a gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo, located in Ohio. It went a little something like this – there was a mother that was not giving her child enough attention in the gorilla pens (she was texting or something) and so her child fell the said gorilla pen. This child was picked up by a male silverback gorilla called Harambe, and caused quite a stir for everyone present, including her mother, who finally noticed. Moments later, a member of the staff came and shoot the gorilla, killing him. And took the child from the pen.

I love animals; I really do. It is really tough for me to not jump to the bandwagon of hate but if someone is reading this, please, restrain yourselves. I work with human-animal relations and I can tell you that the way people respond to these incidenes will shape the actions of conservationists. I can also tell you that these situations will collapse on itself, no mater what action was taken. Just imagine for a second if the management did not took any action(s) or tranq’d the gorilla. The latter might be the best solution (more on that later), but lets face it – we live in a world where parents can sue schools for a scrape that they got while on the grounds. I can already imagine the headlines if the alternative actions were to be taken – ‘Gorilla Mauls Innocent Boy’; ‘Cincinnati Zoo Neglects Child’; and so on and so forth.

Let’s talk about the latter alternative – tranqulizing the gorilla. People think that tranquilizers are the definitive solution in the world of animals but newsflash, this isn’t so. Tranquilizers are known to fail on the field, and they were not willing to receive the backlash if they were taking chances on the life of an innocent child. Besides, gorillas are dangerous animals! They have fiery tempers, are six times stronger than your average heatlh nut, and have canine teeth the size of stiletto heels! Even their keepers are a little bit afraid of them. Working with animals isn’t easy – it’s a calling. A call for those who believe in their hearts that humans and animals deserve coexsitance and grow together in our shared world as equals, and that what harm we have caused them, is our duty to fix. I know this. The keeper to shot the gorilla knows this. The zoo’s director, Thane Maynard, definetly knows this!

Whose fault is it? For me, it’s the mother. Was this the right choice? Maybe in the moment. Was this the best choice? Of course not! You want justice for Harambe? Stop speaking and think this thoroughly. Know that this is a decision that breaks their hearts as it broke mine when I heard it!

Rant done. #RIPHarambe #JusticeforHarambe