Kaley Cuoco And Other Celebs React To The Gorilla Tragedy At Cincinnati Zoo
As is the standard in situations like this, various celebrities have started to speak out about the tragedy that happened at the Cincinnati Zoo over Memorial Day weekend.
Since the death of Harambe, the 17-year-old silverback gorilla who was shot after a 4-year-old boy climbed into his enclosure, public opinion has been mixed about who to blame and whether the zoo's actions were justified.
Were the kid's parents to blame for momentary negligence or did the zoo not have proper barriers in place to prevent small children from sneaking in? Was there a way to sedate or draw Harambe away from the 4-year-old or was shooting the animal the safest option?
Can we just chalk it up to a freak occurrence and leave it at that or do we need to evaluate zoo oversight and protocol to prevent something like this from happening again?
Celebrities started weighing in on how they felt about the events that transpired on Saturday and expressing their condolences for the loss of animal life.
Zelda Williams
Ricky Gervais
Piers Morgan
Katherine McPhee
Kaley Cuoco shared her extensive thoughts on Instagram.
She wrote,
RIP#harambe Im sure I will get tons of backlash (per usual) I mean let's be honest, I wear the wrong sweatpants and the entire world has something to say about it, but once again , another senseless horrendous animal being killed over people not using their brains. If you watch the footage, you see this gorgeous animal holding that child's hand. Do with that ,what you will. As sad as this makes me, a part of me is happy for that amazing creature doesn't have to live in captivity another day. Bring on the hate!!!!
The mother of the kid who fell into the gorilla cage addressed criticism she's faced since video of her child being dragged by the gorilla in the cage went viral.
Thankfully, Gregg's son is reportedly doing OK after being hospitalized for minor scrapes and a concussion.
The Cincinnati Zoo released a statement on the situation, saying,
The Zoo security team's quick response saved the child'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.
Zoo Director Thane Maynard also came forward to defend the zoo's decision to put down Harambe to protect the child, saying,
We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child's life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team… Tranquilizing the 450-pound gorilla was not an option. Tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes and the child was in imminent danger… We're glad to hear that the child is going to be OK. We're touched by the outpouring of support from the community and our members who loved Harambe.
Citations: Kaley Cuoko and other celebrities weigh in on Harambe the gorilla shooting incident (Hello magazine)
