NFL star Benjamin Watson believes the Cincinnati Zoo made the right decision after zookeepers killed a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla in order to prevent the animal from killing a 4-year-old boy who fell into its pen on Saturday.
Outrage toward the Cincinnati Zoo has grown considerably since staff shot and killed the gorilla on Saturday after a 4-year-old boy somehow accessed the exhibit.
Although the 450-pound endangered gorilla dragged the small child through the mote of its pen, animal rights activists have called on the United States Department of Agriculture to punish the zoo for violating the Animal Welfare Act.
While the killing of the gorilla has caused much controversy, Watson, a tight end for the Baltimore Ravens who frequently takes to social media to comment on current events, did not shy away from issuing his opinion about the ordeal in a message posted to Twitter on Tuesday.
“Sometimes kids are disobedient and run off in the blink of an eye. And sometimes parents are negligent,” Watson wrote. “Not sure what transpired at the zoo in Cincinnati but I do know that given the circumstances — a child in the clutch of a gorilla — the zoo authorities made the tough but correct decision to act swiftly and save the child’s life, the human life.”
Watson added that as long as the barrier blocking off Harambe’s exhibit was up to standard, the parents should be held responsible for the situation and be prepared to offer some sort of compensation to the zoo.
“It’s sad such a beautiful animal had to die though. Especially one that’s endangered and ‘minding his own business’ in captivity,” he wrote. “Assuming the barrier passed standard safety regulations, the parents bear the responsibility for their child’s actions and I’d expect them to offer some sort of recompense for the loss.”
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SOURCE: The Christian Post
Samuel Smith
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