A gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo was shot dead Saturday after it grabbed and dragged around a three-year-old boy who had fallen into its enclosure, officials said.
The child was treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries after he had crawled through a barrier and fell about 12 feet into the gorilla’s exhibit, where he was “violently” dragged and thrown around, The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Cincinnati Zoo President Thane Maynard said its 17-year-old male western lowland gorilla, Harambe, posed a danger to the child because of its 400-pound size and strength.
“The choice was made to put down, or shoot, Harambe, so he’s gone,” Maynard said, according to the Enquirer. “We’ve never had a situation like this at the Cincinnati Zoo where a dangerous animal needed to be dispatched in an emergency situation.”
The boy was with the gorilla for about 10 minutes before zoo officials deemed the situation life-threatening, the newspaper reports. “It’s a sad day all the way around,” Maynard said. “They made a tough choice. They made the right choice because they saved that little boy’s life. It could have been very bad.”
Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.
