Unsafe zoos: Another animal shot to save visitor

It was just last week that two innocent lions at a zoo in Chile were killed by authorities after a suicidal 20-year-old man jumped into their enclosure. In an another similar incident, a gorilla at a zoo in Cincinnati was put down in an effort to save a four-year-old boy who accidentally fell into its enclosure yesterday.

The child was stuck in the enclosure for about 10 minutes where he was being dragged around by the 180 kg beast. Officials claim that they made a tough but right choice, because they saved the little boy's life.

“We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically endangered gorilla. This is a huge loss for the zoo family and the gorilla population worldwide,” an official told the BBC.

The officials further said that a tranquillizer wouldn't have been effective fast enough. Though the gorilla did not attack the boy, he added that the boy "certainly was at risk". The boy was taken to a nearby hospital and is out of danger now.

However, it is interesting to see that in spite of repeated instances of people falling or jumping into animal enclosures, authorities seem to be taking no measures at all to save the lives of these endangered species along with the human ‘victims’.