Selwyn Duke
New American
June 1, 2016
New American
June 1, 2016
It’s as if we live in The Planet of the Apes, with the overwrought reaction to the recent killing of Harambe the gorilla. The only thing missing is Dr. Zaius complainingabout how man is a “warlike creature who gives battle to everything around him.” But no small number of Internet commenters have that misanthropic line covered.
It’s hard not to have heard about the events of this past Saturday, when a four-year-old boy named Isaiah slipped into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Video of the incident (see below) captivated the nation, and the outcome — the killing of a 17-year-old silverback (dominant male) gorilla named Harambe in order to save the boy — has evoked rage and calls for retribution.
Many maintain that Harambe didn’t have to be killed, that he was protecting Isaiah and was a victim of trigger-happy zoo officials. In the same vein, an animal-rights group has filed a federal negligence complaint against the zoo. A “Justice for Harambe” Facebook page has been created and already has more than 120,000 likes. Most troubling, though, is what has befallen the boy’s parents, 36-year-old Deonne Dickerson and 32-year-old Michelle Gregg. While a desire to hold them responsible is understandable, they have received indirect death threats, and one man actually messaged that the gorilla “is more important than your [expletive] kid.” Even people who merely share Gregg’s name have been harassed.
Of course, the media hasn’t helped. Many outlets emphasized how Harambe was “holding hands” with Isaiah, and the Drudge Report actually ran a Monday headline reading, “MURDERED GORILLA SEEN ‘PROTECTING’ CHILD.”
We should first note that words have definitions. “Murder” refers to the unjust killing of a human being; thus, it is not possible to “murder” an animal. Moreover, even using the term “unjust” would be odd; animals aren’t subject to “justice,” which can also refer to respecting others’ rights, things animals don’t have (“animal rights” is an oxymoron; we should treat animals well not because they have rights, but because we have responsibilities and, hopefully, love in our hearts). Whatever term we use, however, the killing of Harambe was the right decision.
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