Ten days and many opinions later, the death of Harambe the Gorilla still weighs heavily upon animal activists’ minds. The unfortunate primate was shocked — along with every human in attendance — to find a small child in his pen at the Cincinnati Zoo. He then dragged the toddler through his moat, and the internet exploded with outrage after zookeepers made the split-second decision to shoot the rare animal. An extended video clip, which some felt illustrated the animal’s protective gaze and others thought looked like certain peril, further ignited the controversy. Experts insisted that the gorilla’s death was the only option when it comes to an unpredictable, 400-pound gorilla who doesn’t know his own strength.
A few days later, the zoo had already built new barriers, but many folks continued to wonder whether the boy’s mother (who was in attendance) would bear any legal responsibility. After eyewitnesses revealed how the boy expressed the desire to jump in the water, folks couldn’t imagine how the boy actually ended up there. Even Anonymous called for action, and the Cincinnati police department revealed that they had opened up a criminal probe. The office swiftly completed the investigation, but held their decision, and now prosecutors have revealed that the boy’s mother won’t face charges:
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said the child’s mother had three other children with her, and she was attending to them when the 3-year-old “just scampered off” on May 28. He said children’s services made a visit to the boy and mother, and social workers were impressed by the child’s environment.
Deters said the mother’s actions were “not even close” to meriting reckless endangerment charges. Legal experts had said that prosecution on child endangerment or similar charges seems unlikely. The family has declined to comment.
Well, this decision will likely see plenty of fallout similar to the internet reactions that generated enough energy to power a small city for years. The whole situation is beyond sad, and many feel the boy’s plight could have been prevented, but that’s all speculation. The Cincinnati police conducted their investigation and issued their ruling, so the legal case seems pretty closed.
KTAR FM radio spoke with the boy’s mother, who expressed relief at the decision: “This is one more step in allowing us to put this tragic episode behind us and return to our normal family life.”