The 7 Most Ridiculous Responses To The Cincinnati Zoo Incident Miss The Mark

I am fairly certain that, by now, everyone has heard about the tragedy at the Cincinnati Zoo and the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback gorilla. And while fingers have been pointed on both sides — some believe the zoo is to blame for using fatal force on the animal or for having an unsafe exhibit, while others believe the parents were at fault. Some people have even taken it so far as to call Child Protective Services to take their children away. Here the seven most ridiculous responses to the Cincinnati zoo incident.

Over the weekend, a 3-year-old boy fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo. While zookeepers were able to remove two of the three gorillas from the enclosure, one gorilla — Harambe — remained in the exhibit with the boy, and Harambe immediately grabbed him. Harambe began dragging the boy around. And, while some have argued what the gorilla was being protective and said his actions were not malicious, after 10 minutes, zoo officials decided the only way they could ensure the safety of the boy was if the shot and killed the beloved and endangered gorilla.

Harambe was taken down by a single bullet.

Since then, social media has been abuzz with complaints and criticism. Here are seven of the most outrageous comments I've seen, and — spoiler alert — some of them have nothing to do with the incident itself.

The Mother Is Negligent, To Blame, And/Or Should Go To Jail

I have seen comments ranging from "I wouldn't" to "if I that were my child" to the whole damn "this is his mother's fault." And maybe it partially is, and maybe it isn't. Unfortunately, toddlers are fast, they are fearless, and they sneaky as hell. (I would know; I have one.) And accidents happen to the best of us. Accidents even happen to "perfect parents." And since none of the critics were there, perhaps they should suspend their judgement. Perhaps they should try to be understanding or empathetic. Perhaps they should consider that there are two sides to every coin, and two sides to every story.

The Zoo Was Negligent, To Blame, And/Or Unsafe

Just as people should not blame the mom, they also shouldn't blame the zoo. Why? Gorilla World opened in 1978 — almost 40 years ago — and, according to the Zoo, this is the first time there has been a breach in the fence. Should it be impossible? Probably, but I'm willing to bet zoo officials believed it was impossible to access the enclosure (as they had no reason to believe otherwise). What's more, the zoo must undergo rigorous safety inspections each and every year, from the The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and their accreditation is valid.

The Gorilla Is Being Used To Promote Political Agendas Like Abortion

I'll let this one speak for itself.

And Conspiracy Theories

(And this one too.)

And Racial Issues

Inappropriate. Tasteless and inappropriate.

The point is, regardless of where you stand on this matter, people should agree that it was a sad and unfortunate tragedy.