Cincinnati Zoo Reopens Gorilla Exhibit Where Boy Fell Into Enclosure
CINCINNATI (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The Cincinnati Zoo reopened its gorilla exhibit with a higher, reinforced barrier installed after a boy got into the exhibit and was dragged by a 400-pound gorilla, which was then shot and killed.
The exhibit's reopened Tuesday comes a day after a prosecutor said the boy's mother would not be charged and that the 3-year-old had "scampered off" as children sometimes do.
Director Thane Maynard says the previous barrier passed inspections, but the zoo decided that upgrading it helps ensure both visitors and animals remain safe.
The boy apparently climbed over the exhibit's outer barrier May 28 before falling about 15 feet into a shallow moat. A special response team shot and killed the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla to protect the boy.
Zoo director Thane Maynard said that using tranquilizers on the gorilla would not have knocked the animal out right away, leaving the boy in danger. Maynard said 17-year-old Harambe was agitated by the commotion from the crowd and was extremely powerful, capable of crushing a coconut in one hand.
The gorilla's death set off a torrent of criticism online. Some commenters vilified the zoo for shooting the animal. Others said the boy's mother should have watched him more closely.
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