Gorilla killed

[SteelCurtain]

The animal should not even be there to begin with.

That is a moot point. The animals are there. A lot of them are born in captivity and wouldn't survive in the wild. Zoos do a lot through research and habitat restoration/preservation that there is a sort of utilitarian use for these animals. Also, getting the public a view of these extraordinary animals is a wonderful social force for minimizing the amount of big game hunters and maximizing the awareness of habitat loss/endangered species is important. Specifically the Gorilla exhibit at this zoo is doing crucial breeding research/programs for this critically endangered species.

There is a discussion to be had about zoos and the positives and negatives that they present. But not knowing that animal's history, it is very likely that Harambe had never seen a wild jungle and therefore wouldn't survive if he wasn't in a zoo.

I do not understand the black/white thinking. The parent made a mistake, I don't think that makes her negligent. Again, how many good parents have lost their child in a grocery store or a mall? That isn't a TV trope for no reason. I lost my then 3 year old nephew in my own house. Fucker went out the doggie door after Tanner. I was making him dinner, and didn't get alarmed at the sound of the dog door flapping, because I have a dog that uses it at his leisure. I don't think I was negligent. Kids get a bug up their butt and fucking disappear quick.

The mom could have done better, just as I could have. The zoo had an enclosure that was good enough for a long time. If you don't have any issues, why would you spend tens/hundreds of thousands of dollars updating an enclosure that hasn't shown itself to be faulty? My understanding is that it was an aluminum fence with bars that were 3-4" apart, then a hedge, then a 12 foot fall to a water moat. Hindsight is 20/20, but before this incident, I would bet that no one here would have said that system represented a danger and/or needed to be overhauled at taxpayer expense.