BIG GOVERNMENT AND GORILLAS

By Rick Jensen

A three year-old boy managed to escape his mother for a few seconds and fell into the Cincinnati Zoo’s gorilla pen.

The gorilla became agitated, dragging the boy around by his leg. Zoo officials were forced by the gorilla’s aggression to shoot him.

Then came the reaction from radicals:

“In mourning? You all killed him for protecting a child [whose] parents couldn’t contain their own children!!” said one commenter on the zoo’s Facebook page.

“According to news reports, the youngster managed to crawl through a fence before falling into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens,” PETA informed its followers. “Harambe reportedly picked up the boy and moved him around.”

“…moved him around.” Saying the 450 pound gorilla moved the four year-old around is like saying hurricane winds “gently reposition” a 12-foot sailboat.

A Change.org petition reflects the feelings of over 330,000 people angry that because the “gorilla was ‘perceived’ as dragging and throwing the boy,” it had to be shot.

The video is quite clear, beyond perception, the boy was being dragged and was in danger.

Dr. Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the nearby Columbus Zoo, said, “You’re dealing with either human life or animal life here. So what is the decision? I think it’s very simple to figure that out.”

So, what’s the mob reaction?

Blame the mom.

Yes, how dare she lose control of an energetic boy for a few seconds?

“We the undersigned want the parents to be held accountable for the lack of supervision and negligence that caused Harambe to lose his life.”

They want “Justice for Harambe,” which means revenge.

Parents are often held accountable for the actions of their children. When a child destroys property, purposefully or not, parents are often held financially accountable, as they should be.

If the Cincinnati Zoo chooses to hold the parents accountable for expenses due to rescuing their child, the justifiable case would likely be supported in court.

How does the “Justice for Harambe” crowd seek their justice?

They want to use government as a cudgel to disrupt and possibly destroy the family.

“We believe that this negligence may be reflective of the child’s home situation. We the undersigned actively encourage an investigation of the child’s home environment in the interests of protecting the child and his siblings from further incidents of parental negligence that may result in serious bodily harm or even death. Please sign this petition to encourage the Cincinnati Zoo, Hamilton County Child Protection Services, and Cincinnati Police Department hold the parents responsible.”

Keep in mind that if you support this effort, you are supporting any future calls for the full force of government bureaucracy to invade your home and separate you from your family should your child escape your attention for a few seconds and create a dangerous situation.

Imagine for a moment a petition signer’s preschooler ran from them in a grocery store and knocked over a display of creamed corn, breaking the toe of an elderly shopper. Would they invite Child Protection Services and the police to come into their own home and investigate their own “child’s home environment in the interests of protecting the child and his siblings from further incidents of parental negligence that may result in serious bodily harm or even death?”

Wait. I made a terrible mistake. I equated the broken toe of a human to that of an animal. How politically incorrect. Change that to “breaking the toe of a lovely Lhasa Apso dog.”

It’s not “justice” they seek. It’s revenge. They wish to see the whole family destroyed for this tragic event.

And to what avail?

Would breaking up the family and scattering the children prevent all future preschoolers from evading their parents on some foolish adventure?

When PETA tried to diminish people’s taste for fish by trying to rename all fish, “sea kittens,” it was recognized as a “wacky.”

Creating a precedent wherein families must be emotionally tormented for various misdeeds by preschoolers exceeds “wacky.”

It’s too liberal a use for overworked child protective services and police.