In a well publicized story last week, a 3-year old boy climbed a fence and fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo then was dragged out of the water and onto a landing by a western lowland 450-pound silverback male gorilla.

The incident exploded into a full-blown internet controversy when the 17-year old gorilla was shot and killed in order to rescue the child, with seemingly everyone weighing in and assigning blame to the zoo for not creating unscalable fences; the parents for letting their child slip away; and the zookeepers for destroying the animal rather than attempting to distract him. Even Jane Goodall weighed in with a gentle rebuke, suggesting that the gorilla was in an attitude of “protection” rather than the zoo’s description of him being disoriented and unpredictable.

While animal activists protested the slaying of an innocent animal in captivity, any parent will tell you that zoo officials did the absolute correct thing in shooting the massive primate.

The Life of the Child or the Life of the Gorilla?

Plain and simple, the child’s life was in danger, immediate action was necessary and correctly carried out. It is fortunate the boy only sustained minor injuries from the fall and, as a pediatrician, I hope precautions are now taken about the possible emotional scars or trauma.

I am sure both the zoo and the parents are mortified and deeply regret the incident and the loss of the animal’s life. The alternative, however – gambling the small child’s life – is too horrifying to consider.

As both a parent and a pediatrician, I’m left with the same questions we are all asking: How did this happen? Were the barriers to the enclosure inadequate? Were the parents unreasonably distracted (although any parent of a small child can tell you, it only takes a second for them to slip away.)

What we need to take away from this incident is not blame but precaution. A child this age is ever inquisitive, curious, and unaware of danger. As parents, and as designers and administrators of public spaces that welcome children, we need to be constantly vigilant guardians.

What’s next?

It is a hopeful sign that the zoo announced yesterday that it plans to re-open the gorilla exhibit with a higher, reinforced barrier. A Cincinnati Zoo spokeswoman said the outer barrier will be 6 inches taller than before, with solid wood beams on the top and bottom, as well as knotted rope netting at the bottom.

The toddler’s family announced that it had no plans to sue the zoo and requested that well-wishers not send them financial gifts, but rather make any donations to the Cincinnati Zoo in Harambe’s name. Hopefully they have learned an unfortunate but valuable lesson about toddler unpredictability.

And after the Cincinnati police turned over their findings to a prosecutor, they announced Monday morning that charges will not be filed against the parents.

Now the final step in this unfortunate accident is to make sure the child feels safe and secure again.

Lessons noted and hopefully learned!