Originally Posted by bowieluva
The hysterical pleas of the mother of a boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure at Cincinnati Zoo have been heard for the first time.
Audio of Michelle Gregg’s 911 call as her three-year-old son was being dragged around by 200kg silverback Harambe reveals her pure terror in the moment.
“Hi — my son fell in the zoo exhibit at the gorillas!” mother Michelle Gregg shouts incoherently at the operator.
“At the Cincinnati Zoo,” the mom tries to clarify, before starting again.
“My son fell in with the gorilla,” she says.
“There’s a male gorilla standing over him. I need someone to contact the zoo, please.”
The operator then tells Ms Gregg someone help is already on its way.
“Ok, we do already have it started — we do already have help started there, Ok?” the female operator says.
The operator then tries to ask how old Ms Gregg’s son is, but is cut off when the mother yells out to her son: “Be calm”.
“Be calm. Be calm,” she repeats, sounding frantic.
“He’s dragging my son,” Ms Gregg then suddenly yells.
“I can’t watch this. I can’t. I can’t. I can’t watch,” she says.
With that the call ends and within minutes zookeepers shoot the endangered gorilla, Harambe, dead.
Earlier this week, Ms Gregg released a statement on Facebook confirming her son Isaiah Dickerson had been released from hospital and was doing fine.
She and her partner Deonne Dickerson – who have three other children together - have become the subject of a fierce online hate campaign accusing them of neglect for allowing Isaiah to climb the zoo’s barrier unnoticed.
Local police have announced they will be investigating the parents’ role in the tragic incident, including looking at possible criminal charges.
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/201...7M4xxxdjpJK.99
I admit it- there are times when I have to take my eyes off my grandson (when I'm watching him)
I really don't see how any person could keep their eyes glued to any kid 100% of the time. You have to pee, you have to cook lunch, you have to fix bottles, get a diaper, throw a diaper away, wash clothes, etc....
When you go on outings, you're more alert...but still, a person can get caught up in other things especially if you have other kids. Sometimes you have to dig in a diaper bag to get a sippy cup or find a baby wipe.
I think the zoo builder's should get on their hands and knees and pretend to be a 2 or 3-year old. Find the holes and fix it.
People need to leave that family alone. It's not going to bring Harambe back. It's not productive. Anyone threatening them with death threats should be charged.
"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/01/us/har...lla-zookeeper/
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news...well/85239880/
So, people who work with these kinds of animals say the kid was in danger, and the parents said publicly that they don't want any money for this. It's important to take everything everyone on the internet says very seriously. When a peta member says a four hundred pound gorilla was simply protecting the child when it was dragging it through the water, you better believe it! Also, when the conservative treehouse says the parents are looking for a handout, you bet they are spot on.
Bingo.
Even the kid who was protected by the gorilla in the 80's (someone posted that video a couple pages ago), he chimed in and supported the zoo's decision 100%. Then he went on to say something along the lines of 'my parents blamed themselves but I was being a little shit and it wasn't their fault at all'
And if I'm not mistaken, that was a female gorilla ... big difference.
I really can't believe they're considering criminal charges in this case. I could understand it if the parents were terribly negligent, but that doesn't seem to be the case since the mom was right there. Even if she was taking a picture when it happened ... people take pictures at the zoo all the time.
The stuff being said online about the mom ... WOW. People want her dead? It's sick. Some people even say the little kid will probably grow up to be a criminal and end up dead anyway, so why shoot the gorilla. What?? (And I read an article comment this morning that said they should have offered the gorilla some Skittles. Is that a Trayvon Martin joke? Sweet Jebus. What is the matter with people?)
I didn't watch the video at first because I was afraid it showed the gorilla being shot, which I didn't want to see, so I just watched it yesterday for the first time. I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks that gorilla was just loving on that boy are kidding themselves. I'm not a gorilla expert, but we have quite a few baby/juvenile gorillas at our zoo, and I've never seen an adult gorilla drag a little one through the water and sling them around like a rag doll. The EMTs witnesed him throwing the boy, too. I know the gorilla was only doing what comes naturally and was upset by all the commotion, but I'm really surprised the kid only had a concussion and scrapes.
This was a no-win situation for the zoo. When the tiger killed the zookeeper in Florida recently, people were screaming their heads off because the zoo chose to tranquilize the tiger instead of killing it immediately so they could retrieve the zookeeper (who was already dead). They did what they had to do. I love gorillas, and it's very sad they had to shoot him, but seeing that huge silverback standing over that little bitty boy and dragging him around ... ugh. People need to get a grip.
My son was a lightening-fast lunatic at that age, and I lived in constant fear of him dashing away from me and getting injured or killed. I probably would've had a heart attack and died on the spot if he got into an animal enclosure at the zoo. Fortunately, that was the one thing he never tried, haha.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor...nnati_zoo.html
Zookeeper: Here's What We're Missing About the Death of Harambe
By Amanda O'Donoughue
I worked with gorillas as a zookeeper at the Knoxville Zoo from January 2006 until August of 2008; after that I volunteered doing sanctuary work and wildlife rehab. Of the dozens of animals I worked with closely, gorillas were my favorite -- for their soulfulness, curiosity, and playfulness. Since the news emerged last weekend that Cincinnati Zoo officials shot and killed the gorilla known as Harambe after a little boy fell into his enclosure, I've realized that there are some misconceptions out there about both the gorilla species itself and how a zoo operates in emergency situations. Here, I'd like to try to clear up those misconceptions.
Gorillas are often considered to be "gentle giants," at least when compared with their more aggressive cousins, the chimpanzee. But a 450-pound male such as Harambe has the strength of roughly 10 adult humans. What can you bench-press? Now multiply that number by 10. An adult male silverback gorilla has one job: to protect his group. He does this by bluffing or intimidating anyone and anything that he feels threatened by.
Gorillas are considered a Class I mammal, the most dangerous class of mammals in the animal kingdom -- again, merely due to their size and strength. They are grouped in with other apes as well as tigers, lions, and bears. While working in an Association of Zoos and Aquariums -- accredited zoo with apes, keepers do not work in direct contact with them; they never share an enclosed space with these animals. There is always a welded mesh barrier between the animal and the humans.
In recent decades, zoos have begun to redesign enclosures, removing all obvious caging in the attempt to create a seamless view of the animals in a more natural-looking habitat. Many viewing areas have glass fronts or more elaborate designs, including moats and waterfalls, as a means to keep the animals safely inside their enclosures. Walkways are lined with basic guard rails and shrubbery that can be breached, with strong enough intentions. This is fine -- until little children begin falling into exhibits. This of course can happen to anyone, especially in a crowded zoo setting.
I have watched the video of Harambe and the little boy over and over again. The silverback's posturing and tight lips are a sign of agitation -- a signal that the animal was stressed. Like humans, great apes have many different facial expressions that reveal what they are feeling. When a gorilla stands tense on his knuckles with shoulders high and lips tucked in tight, he is ready to intimidate whatever is threatening him.
Gorillas can be kind, curious, and sometimes silly, but they are also very large, very strong animals. I always brought my OCD to work with me, checking and rechecking locks to make sure my animals and I remained separated before entering.
I keep hearing on the news and on social media that the gorilla appeared to be trying to protect the boy from the yelling onlookers. I do not think this was the case. Harambe reaches for the boys' hands and arms, but only to position the child better for his own displaying purposes. Males perform very elaborate displays when highly agitated, slamming and dragging things about, as Harambe did with the young child. Typically, male gorillas in captivity (and in the wild) will drag around large branches, barrels, and heavy-weighted balls to make as much noise as possible -- not in an effort to hurt anyone or anything (usually), but just to intimidate. It is clear to me from Harambe's body language that he was reacting to the screams from the gathering crowd and possibly from the child himself.
Harambe was most likely not going to separate himself from that child without seriously hurting him first -- again, due to mere size and strength, not malicious intent. Why didn't the staff use food to lure Harambe away from the boy? I am under the impression that the keepers called the animals "off exhibit," which is usually done using food as a lure; the females shifted into their indoor enclosures, but Harambe would not leave the boy. What better treat for a captive animal than a real live kid?
Tranquilizers may sound like a great option, but they weren't used likely for a few different reasons. First, it would have taken too long to immobilize Harambe with tranquilizers, and in the intervening time, he could have seriously injured or killed the child. Second, it's possible that Harambe could have drowned in the moat if immobilized in the water -- which meant that he could have trapped the boy beneath him and drowned him as well.
Only white people are allowed to take pictures of their kids at the zoo. There, I said it. If they are gonna give out obammaphones, they should disable the camera because you don't need a camera to find a job.
I keep seeing a kanye meme floating around and it makes my stomach turn -I really dont get it though. I can only guess its racist and still weak as fuck.
Its a gorilla and its young with the caption "IfI threw my baby onstage during a concert, would they shoot kanye" Is that funny in some way Im missing or just incredibly racist?
I really really hate humans...
You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.- D. Moynihan
I WILL STICK MY DICK IN YOUR HEAD
I don't actually get the joke. I guess they are saying he's a gorilla? Not funny and terribly racist.
Yep it's just racist.
How unsurprising.
I was really hoping I was missing an obvious joke.
You're entitled to your own opinions. You're not entitled to your own facts.- D. Moynihan
I WILL STICK MY DICK IN YOUR HEAD
That female gorilla also had a little baby on her back at the time.
I think both sides should just let it goooooooooo. let it go. Hopefully, they've both learn a life lesson.
The article Tupelo posted from Amanda O'Donoughue was great.
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/...r-barrier.html
CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Zoo said Thursday it will re-open its gorilla exhibit next week with a higher, reinforced barrier after a 3-year-old boy got into the enclosure, leading to the primate's fatal shooting.
Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley said the outer barrier will now be 42 inches high - a half foot taller than before - with solid wood beams on top and at the bottom, plus knotted rope netting at the bottom.
The zoo said there had been no earlier breaches in Gorilla World's 38-year history and that the previous barrier had passed multiple inspections by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos.
Our exhibit goes above and beyond standard safety requirements, but in light of what happened, we have modified the outer public barrier to make entry even more difficult," zoo director Thane Maynard said in a statement.
When you go to a zoo, or any public place really, you go in having a sense of security at some level or another. I think this situation was just a horrible freak accident. When You take your kids to the zoo it's not unreasonable to think they are safe from being able to enter an animals enclosure.
As for the mother and her lack of attention to the child, I empathize with her. Hauling multiple kids around a crowded place is not easy. It is so easy to lose sight of one while having to tend to another. And kids being kids, they wonder off. It is just a reality of parenting more than one child. ANY parent that claims they have never lost sight of a child is just ignorant. At one point or another every parent has turned around and had that feeling of their heart falling out of their butt because their child was not there.
When I took my son to the zoo for the first time, he took off running out of the primate exhibit because a gorilla was right up on the glass behind him when he turned around. Toddlers are fast, like really fast. I thought I would never catch him. My point is that sometimes an accident is just that. There will not always be something or someone to blame. Life happens. Luckily this child was not seriously harmed. We all make at least one shitty decision a day, we are just lucky it's never lead to super shitty outcome like this.
Gorilla < child. Always.
ETA: seriously, who hasn't been on their phone taking photos at a zoo? Granted most children don't go climbing into the exhibits while the photos are being taken, but still.
Last edited by Phenobarbiedoll; 06-03-2016 at 06:37 AM.
I don't know about your zoos but this is flat out untrue at most zoos I've been to. In order for audiences to have better viewing and access to the animals, the animals are usually on an isolated 'island' of sorts, divided by a moat, with a waist-high guardrail keeping people back. What protects us from animals at most zoos is that they are comfortable and don't want to get out, and we're smart enough not to do stupid shit like dangle kids over to get a closer look.
Sometimes, though, we're not smart enough.
Never ASSUME that some place is going to be safe for a child. That child is the parents' responsibility, not the world's.
Our zoos are set up just like every other one. We have a couple of fences between the rails and shrubbery that are the same height as the rails. None of this changes the fact that it's not unreasonable to think that your children are pretty safe from entering the exhibit. This kid was not dangled over the rails and dropped, he climbed his way through the barriers.
By assuming and expecting a certian level of security does not mean that I am putting my responsibility as their parent on the world. It means that when I take my daughter to the mall today to shop, I expect that we will be somewhat safe. It means when we go grocery shopping or out to eat or wherever we go we will be in a pretty safish place. I absolutely do not expect others to be responsible for them. It is my job and mine only to watch them.
The woman took her kids to a zoo. Zoos are typically kid friendly. She was not driving them or walking them down crackhead row. Crackhead row is not so much kid friendly or generally considered safe. It's ridiculous to say that you should think that EVERYWHERE you go is unsafe for kids. If I go to a place geared to children I expect certian safety measures will be in place. When I go to the zoo I expect that my kids will not be able to effortlessly climb into gorilla enclosures. That does not mean I'm putting my responsibility as a parent on the public, it means I'm putting my TRUST in the safety measures.
This was a very unfortunate accident. I don't feel that blame should be placed on either the parent or the zoo. The mother was not intentionally neglectful, the zoo had safety measures in place. Toddlers can be crafty when they are determined to get what or where they want. People not accepting that there is really not an absolute place to place blame is what is making this whole situation hard to deal with.
To be clear, I'm not trying to critique you as a parent at all. But I would certainly side eye the notion that parents should assume there is no way for their child to access animals at the zoo when visually it's pretty evident there is. That's why vigilance is important, and yes, I totally get that kids are slippery lil demons. I'm not saying whether the mom does or doesn't bear blame because frankly, who knows? Half the witnesses say she was distracted and the others say she was doing what she could. Never going to be resolved.
I'm just saying as a non-parent, I'm as annoyed by parental assumptions that other people are watching out for the welfare of your children (not yours specifically, Pheno, the universal your) as parents are by the opinions of non-parents on childrearing.
If you have a little hellion kid that you know adventures a lot and wanders off and ignores you, put that turd on a fucking kid leash when you go somewhere that could be potentially dangerous, like a zoo.
I totally agree on the leash thing especially if your kid tends to wonder off.
Every single zoo I have been to is exactly how bowie described. Kids aren't safe at all from being into an exhibit, or get lost/kidnapped. It's too busy at zoos. The only time I felt they were safe in an exhibit is with thick glass between them and the gorillas. Even then I felt uneasy, but they couldn't fall in.
It's impossible to idiot-proof these places. Idiots are ironically very creative at idioting.
And you can still feel sad for the poor gorilla while thinking that killing him was the only option. The zoo employees seem to.
[quote author=thanatos link=topic=5272.msg211093#msg211093 date=1172939327]<br />Thank you! Good Karma for you! I'm sick of everyone using "bi-polar" as an excuse for violent behavior. Pet peeve here. :2angry:<br />[/quote][quote author=Olivia link=topic=5272.msg
Yes, indeed. Obviously, since four-year-olds are in danger of being wiped from existence. It's not like silverback gorillas are dangerously endangered or something.
I mean, it's not like Harambe could have lent his genetic material to a breeding program to create MORE of these non-rare,non-endangered gorillas, right?
[quote author=thanatos link=topic=5272.msg211093#msg211093 date=1172939327]<br />Thank you! Good Karma for you! I'm sick of everyone using "bi-polar" as an excuse for violent behavior. Pet peeve here. :2angry:<br />[/quote][quote author=Olivia link=topic=5272.msg
Exactly.
[quote author=thanatos link=topic=5272.msg211093#msg211093 date=1172939327]<br />Thank you! Good Karma for you! I'm sick of everyone using "bi-polar" as an excuse for violent behavior. Pet peeve here. :2angry:<br />[/quote][quote author=Olivia link=topic=5272.msg
No. No, it didn't.
[quote author=thanatos link=topic=5272.msg211093#msg211093 date=1172939327]<br />Thank you! Good Karma for you! I'm sick of everyone using "bi-polar" as an excuse for violent behavior. Pet peeve here. :2angry:<br />[/quote][quote author=Olivia link=topic=5272.msg
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