Gorilla shooting: 'We would make the same decision'

The decision to shoot dead a gorilla as he dragged a four-year-old boy around by the ankle was correct, according to the zoo's director.

Harambe, a 400-pound ape, picked up and dragged the boy violently after he crawled through a barrier at Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, USA.

A zoo employee then shot the 17-year-old gorilla as it had the child in between its legs.

On Monday, the zoo's director stood by the decision to kill the endangered animal, saying the ape was not simply endangering the child but hurting him.

"Looking back, we would make the same decision to shoot the gorilla", Thane Maynard told a news conference.

"The gorilla was clearly agitated. The gorilla was clearly disoriented," Maynard said of Western lowland, whose species is listedas endangered.

The boy's head was banging on the concrete as he was being dragged through the enclosure, which was one factor in the decision to shoot Harambe on Saturday.

On Monday, animal lovers displayed outrage over the incident and killing.

So far, more than 200,000 people have signed online petitions on Change.org to protest the shooting.

Some petitions urged police to hold the child's parents accountable.

However, Maynard said the zoo had also received thousands of messages of sympathy and support, including from other zoos.

He maintained that the exhibit was safe and the zoo was not negligent.