“We would have tried a less drastic measure” – Lee Durrell on Cincinnati gorilla death

Wednesday 01 June 2016

Lee Durrell says that too few facts are known about the weekend’s killing of a gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo to draw conclusions, but says she would like to think that Durrell would have tried a “less drastic” measure.

A gorilla called Harambe was shot and killed at the zoo on Saturday after a four-year-old boy fell into its enclosure.

Keepers judged that the life of the child was in danger, and a marksman shot and killed the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla.

The incident drew comparisons to events 30 years ago, when a young boy called Levan Merritt fell into the gorilla enclosure at Durrell – then called Jersey Zoo. The silverback gorilla, Jambo, stood over the boy and appeared to protect him from the other gorillas before keepers managed to rescue him.

The shooting of Harambe sparked an outcry on social media and around the world.

Speaking about the events on Durrell’s Facebook page, Lee Durrell – who serves as Honorary Director of Durrell and who is a figurehead for the international conservation trust – said that all she could do was offer her sympathy to Cincinnati Zoo.

She said: “What happened at Cincinnati Zoo last week was an utter tragedy, but it is difficult to apportion blame when so few facts are known.

“From the short pieces of film we at Durrell have seen, it looks as if Harambe was ‘protecting’ the child, much as Jambo had done here 30 years ago, but what happened a few minutes later?

“And we all know that, even with a vigilant parent, a four-year-old child can be very naughty and ‘slippery’.

“Hindsight is easy, and I like to think we would have tried a less drastic measure to save the child, but there is no doubt that our colleagues at Cincinnati agonised over their decision.

“Let’s just be thankful that very few incidents of this sort actually happen and offer our deepest sympathies to Cincinnati Zoo and Harambe’s family and friends.”