Timeline of events when child fell into gorilla exhibit at Cincinnati Zoo

There is much public outcry after Harambe, a silverback gorilla, was shot and killed after a child fell into the gorilla exhibit the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday. Some claim the gorilla appeared to be protecting the toddler and should not have been killed. However, the zoo maintains that authorities made the right decision, as it was a matter of life and death for the child.

Harambe was a 17-year-old 400-pound silverback gorilla that was shot dead when a child fell into its enclosure on May 28.

Witnesses say they heard the child ask if he could go in to swim with the gorillas, and that his mother had said no. However, the 4-year-old managed to get past a 3-foot-tall railing and bushes that were roughly 4 feet wide before falling into the animal enclosure.

The child fell a distance of 15 feet into the moat below that was filled with water that was about a foot deep. Three gorillas were in the enclosure at the time, but zookeepers managed to call two of them inside.

Video captured by bystanders at the zoo show Harambe, the remaining gorilla, seeming to protect the child at times, while at other times aggressively dragging the toddler through the water

The executive director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens says using a tranquilizer dart on the animal would have made the situation worse, as it would not have taken effect quickly enough and may have agitated the gorilla more.

Reports say the child was sitting between the gorilla’s legs when officials fatally shot the animal.

In memory of Harambe, people have been leaving flowers around a bronze statue of a gorilla and her baby outside the Cincinnati Zoo's GorillaWorld exhibit.

Some claim it the child’s parents should be punished for failing to keep a closer watch on their child. However, the zoo says it does not plan to press charges.
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