Gorilla shot dead after it grabbed three-year-old boy who crawled into its enclosure
A gorilla was shot dead by zoo security officers after it grabbed a three-year-old boy who entered its enclosure.
The 400-pound gorilla picked up and dragged the boy violently after he crawled through a barrier at Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, US.
A zoo employee shot the 14-year-old gorilla when it had the child in between its legs.
Once the child was in a safe area, he was given a full trauma assessment and transported to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with serious injuries.
Amateur footage courtesy of Kim O'Connor:
Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard said the decision to shoot the gorilla to save the boy's life was difficult, but it was the right one.
He added that the gorilla was not tranquilised because when the animal is agitated, the tranquiliser may not immediately take effect.
Staff said the boy is expected to make a recovery.
More than 2,000 people signed a petition on Change.org that sharply criticized the Cincinnati Police Department and the zoo for putting down the animal and called for the child's parents to be "held accountable for their actions of not supervising their child".
The authorities did not identify the child or his parents.