Dr. Jane Goodall, famous for her life-long studies of chimpanzees, has entered the recent debate about the consequences of keeping gorillas in zoos. She sent a letter to Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard in response to the shooting of gorilla Harambe.
The shooting has received a lot of attention in media, questioning the decision to shoot the gorilla, as it appeared to have been protecting the child who fell into his enclosure.
Other’s have questioned the mother’s ability to look after her child.
Goodall raised a different question that has not been covered by media. In fact, she appears to be the only animal rights activist to ask this very question, which is;
How did the other gorillas react after Harambe was killed?
Jane Goodall’s email letter was addressed to Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard, forwarded and released by the Jane Goodall Institute on May 31 with the Subject “gorilla shooting.” The letter starts with sympathy for Maynard,
“I feel so sorry for you, having to try to defend something which you may well disapprove of.“
Goodall’s life-long experience with primates offered the following thoughts of the incident,
“I tried to see exactly what was happening — it looked as though the gorilla was putting an arm around the child — like the female who rescued and returned the child from the Chicago exhibit.”
In the 1996 Chicago incident mentioned, 8-year-old female gorilla Binti Jua saved a 3-year-old boy who fell into her enclosure by cradling him and taking him to the zookeeper’s door. Binti Juan became in international hero.
But Goodall’s letter does not imply any blame. Instead, her key question, which no one else had asked before, was about the devastating loss to the zoo, and to the other gorillas,
“How did the others react? Are they allowed to see, and express grief, which seems to be so important.”
She is concerned about the other gorillas left behind, who might be grieving.
While there has been no official response to Goodall’s concerns, Harambe’s tragic death keep raising questions about the way we treat animals for our own enjoyment or needs.
Should he have been in a zoo in the first place? LA Times offered some thoughts,
“In the case of Harambe, some of the outrage came from people who feed animals to their own children, yet denounced a zoo for killing an animal who was a threat to another child’s life. Evidently our attitudes to animals are changing, but they remain confusing and contradictory, if not incoherent.”
Dr. Jane Goodall, 82, is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, a global wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. Their inspirational message that the well-being of our world relies on people taking an active interest in all living things. Sign up here to get involved or donate.
View Coco the gorilla express grief over the loss of her kitten here, and Dr. Jane Goodall’s view on Harambe’s death:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibQmncrmaCI
Featured image screengrab from YouTube.
