Last year, the story of a certain gorilla caught the attention of many netizens around the world. In case you haven’t caught wind of the story, here’s a quick rundown for you: Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla was shot in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden on May 28, 2016, in order to save a four-year-old boy who got stuck in the gorilla’s turf. Some reports say that Harambe acted violently towards the child. Others, however, claimed that the gorilla was actually helping to save his life. The video of his death has been viewed by millions on YouTube.

Since news of his murder broke out, netizens were quick to react to Harambe’s passing on social media platforms. The majority voiced their outraged on the nature of his demise; some have pointed their fingers to the young child’s parents for their lack of attentiveness. An online petition was launched to call out the “bad parenting” which they believed was the sole contributor to the gorilla’s death. According to BBC News, more than 60,000 folks signed the petition. Others chose to step away from their keyboards to express their ire over the incident, which happened on the day after Harambe’s seventeenth birthday. A few candlelight vigils were even held in his honor.

Similar incidents of animal killings in captivity have happened over the years. Marius the Giraffe was killed and dissected in front of many spectators at the Copenhagen Zoo on February 9, 2014, after the zoo deemed his genetics to be unfit for breeding. Cecil the Lion was shot down by dentist and hunter Walter J. Palmer on July 1, 2015.

Animals being kept in zoos aren’t happy to be confined in small spaces. To them, it’s just like being in a prison. No animal, especially the ones that belong in the wild, should be allowed to taken as prisoners for profit. They do not deserve to be taken away from their natural habitats and be treated like slaves for visitors’ amusement. Zoos need to realize that they’re only bringing more harm to their animals than good.

Want to share your thoughts regarding Harambe and other animals in captivity? Feel free to do so by sounding off on the comment section below. You can even tweet me at www.twitter.com/DoctorNancye.

References

BBC News. 2016. “Gorilla Killing: Harambe’s Death at Zoo Prompts Backlash.” Accessed June 2, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-cana....

EcoWatch. 2016. “5 Times Animals Have Been Killed in Zoos.” Accessed June 6, 2017. https://www.ecowatch.com/5-times-animals-have-been-killed-in-zoos-due-to-human-encounters-1891162359.html.

Milmo, Cahal. 2014. “The Killing of Marius the Giraffe Opens an Important Debate about Genetics, Animal Rights and Zoo Inbreeding.” Independent, February 10. Accessed June 6, 2017. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-killing-of-marius-the-giraffe-opens-an-important-debate-about-genetics-animal-rights-and-zoo-9120219.html.

Ranganathan, Romesh. 2017. “Zoos are Prisons for Animals—No One Needs to See a Depressed Penguin in the Flesh.” The Guardian, March 13. Accessed June 6, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/world/commentisfree/2017/mar/13/zoos-are-prisons-for-animals-no-one-needs-to-see-a-depressed-penguin-in-the-flesh.

Capecchi, Christina, and Rogers, Katie. 2015. “Killer of Cecil the Lion Finds out That He is a Target Now, of Internet Vigilantism.” The New York Times, July 29. Accessed June 6, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/us/cecil-the-lion-walter-palmer.html.

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