There was a sudden and unexpected flurry of activity in primate-related news when a child fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Although the child was ok in the end, zoo staff fatally shot Harambe, a male gorilla in the enclosure who went over to the dazed toddler and dragged him around. There was much speculation over if Harambe meant to harm or protect the child, and of course nobody knows the answer to this. The days-long discussions meant that primatologists and animal experts were busy fielding media inquiries - myself included.
The most exciting event during this time was that I was
interviewed live on CNN.
In addition, I was interviewed for articles in
The Boston Herald and
The Hot Zone, and supplied information for articles in USA Today and Reuters.
It was a very unfortunate accident that occurred, but it is my hope that discussions continue about the safety of zoo enclosures - for both the humans and animals involved - and that perhaps the utility of zoos is questioned overall.
