re: #508 Backwoods_Sleuth

I have a very soft spot for the Cincinnati Zoo and the gorillas there because I was part of the zoo’s volunteer team monitoring the gorillas when the lowland breeding program began more than 35 45 years ago. (edited to correct the timeframe…jeebus, I’m old.)
That said, I wasn’t there to witness this recent tragedy and wouldn’t even begin to think of second-guessing the zoo’s response.
I’m saddened the gorilla had to die, that the child is traumatized, and much of the public debate has been ill-informed.
The Cincinnati Zoo has been in the forefront of gorilla breeding, both at the zoo and in the wild in Africa, and has been extremely successful in increasing the lowland gorilla population in the wild and bringing it back from the brink of extinction.

The male gorilla was on loan from Zoo Miami for breeding purposes.