Anyone who knows me knows I’m a diehard animal lover and often times take up for animals over people. Just like everyone has a purpose, so do I, and I’ve known since I was a very small child that my life purpose wholeheartedly involves animal welfare.
Yet I’m well aware there are times that just like with people, animals must be contained to protect the innocent. And yet, in the case of Harambe, despite the fact that he was a 400-pound gorilla, and the shrieking crowd above who simply had no understanding of this gentle creature, I genuinely feel his life was cut short in too quick a decision that has left me and many others utterly heartbroken.
I’m an intuitive being, and if there’s one thing I know, not everything is as meets the eye. Anyone on a spiritual path can clearly see Harambe’s concern, not to mention his confusion, about this newly fallen child in his habitat. Online experts have claimed that the zoo acted nobly, and their quick response saved the boy’s life, yet not amongst the so-called experts who share the same opinion is the one that matters the most, Jane Goodall, who’s stated quite the opposite.
The topic is clearly a hotly debated issue, with both sides not backing down. But for those claiming Harambe was “aggressively dragging” the child through the water, I see no difference in child’s play at a local pool. Furthermore, it is believed that Harambe was simply imitating female gorillas who drag youngsters by the arm in the same fashion only to nestle them sweetly a minute later.
In other words, it’s what gorillas do.
He stopped to inspect him, again, a common trait amongst primates, checked his arms and legs to determine where best to continue pulling him, similar to what female gorillas often do, and chose his shirttail the second time around and not a limb, again a very benign and thought-out move versus anyone who claims it was a hostile, intimidating act.
Harambe unfortunately never stood a chance once his curiosity got the best of him, and was killed as a result of his own innocence that was ultimately harmless and at worst curious. The protective manner he initially displayed by hovering over the child by the door of the enclosure indicates his intentions all along, which were to do just that, protect him.
The mass hysteria from the crowd above added insult to injury. The surge of fear that immediately erupted during the whole incident is what prompted Harambe to action in the first place, shielding the boy from what he perceived as danger. While I don’t blame them for not knowing better, as most people don’t and wouldn’t understand this giant ape’s behavior, the zookeepers should and do and consequently should have rushed to the epicenter to calm them.
Moreover, this was hardly an accident as is being claimed. He didn’t slip and fall. The zoo’s enclosure was properly secured based on previous inspections including those as recent as last week. Point blank, this boy taunted his mother, more than once, about jumping, and probably not thinking he would, she turned her back on him, and he did.
When true accidents happen, liability is determined to know who’s at fault and ultimately who’s responsible. For example, if your child smashes your neighbor’s front picture window with a baseball, or hosts an underage drinking party on your property and someone drives off drunk and kills someone, there’s no question you’re held liable for your child's actions.
It was a willful act on the part of the child whose actions are the responsibility of the parent, not due to prejudice, mere outrage, public opinion, or any other reason than it’s simply how it works.
Yet she's not solely liable. The zoo is undoubtedly at fault too. To not know this animal well enough to immediately interpret his behavior for what it was, calm the crowd, and allow appropriate time for the safety of both the child and Harambe to ensue is probably the biggest and most insulting outrage of all. I find it hard to believe that they're trained pros and this is the best they could do. Zoos in and of themselves are outdated, archaic, and nothing but profit-drive machines who’s only aim is to make money off the captivity of helpless animals who would prefer to live their lives free from gawkers and fake habitats that are nowhere near comparable to what their natural-born life is in the jungle.
From start to finish, what happened is pure disaster, and no one should walk free. It's unthinkable to think it's 2016 and this is the best the Cincinnati Zoo's Disaster Response Team could do in an emergency situation like this. It’s time for people to accept responsibility for their behavior, man, woman and child, in particular and especially when it comes to the impact their actions have on animals.
There are no greater victims than those without voices. We are not the only beings on this planet, earth does NOT belong to humans to do with it as we wish, and it’s not our place to murder an innocent creature that was merely acting out of instinct with nothing but good intentions at heart.
If anyone had anything to fear, it was Harambe and the senseless acts of humans that continue to claim the lives of innocent animals. Human morality stands at an all-time low when our moral conscious has never been easier to access. So easily do we dispose of beloved and loyal companions of all breeds and kinds and find ways to justify it. Now all the zoo seems to be doing is defending themselves, claiming a human life was at stake and it was the only rational choice they could make.
I'm no expert, but I know what I know. All lives matter, plain and simple, including Harambe’s, and it’s time for people to realize that to kill an animal so unjustly, an endangered one no less, is as offensive as murdering a human being. Harambe’s death is morally and reprehensibly wrong, on the part of the parent and the zoo, and if justice isn’t served in this case, rest assured you can count on karma.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." The Dalai Lama
RIP Harambe. I hope you're as free as free can be.
~ Angela
