The Loss of Harambe

The following was posted on my wordpress site on May 29, 2016.  I am reposting it here and have added some additional commentary and follow-up regarding the actions The Cincinnati Zoo has taken since this horrific incident in May of last year. 

On Saturday, May 28th, 2016, the Cincinnati Zoo's Dangerous Animal Response Team shot and killed Harambe, a 17-year-old Western lowland silverback Gorilla, one of the world's critically endangered animals.  Harambe was transferred to The Cincinnati Zoo from the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX in September, 2014 and is a captive born gorilla.

Although the complete story is still sketchy, all news outlets - local, national, and international - are reporting that a 4-year-old boy breached the barrier to the gorilla enclosure, fell down approximately 10-12 feet into the moat that separates the public from the area the animals populate, and was approached by Harambe. After a short time, he dragged the boy to the far end of the moat and, when the security team arrived, they made the decision to shoot and kill the gorilla instead of tranquilizing him, for the safety of the child. The child was then retrieved and taken to Children's Hospital Medical Center. He was conscious and talking to paramedics, with reported scratches and a bump on the head.

A couple of videos and news stories are worth watching/reading:

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/28/police-child-taken-hospital-after-falling-into-gorilla-pen/85095094/

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/05/29/479919582/gorilla-killed-to-save-boy-at-cincinnati-zoo

As one might imagine, public reaction to this story was immediate and visceral. Reactions range from concern for the well-being of the child to sadness for the loss of Harambe to outright rage toward both the adults responsible for this child and the zoo, for having a penetrable barrier and a solution that was simply not good enough in so many peoples' eyes.

I had several reactions, all at once, and am still processing the jumble of thoughts and emotions this triggered in me. I think it's important when something like this happens and we are not there, we are not witness to it, that we are cautious about not only our own reaction to our feelings and how we care for ourselves during these times, but also how we think about and react to others.

A number of news stories on this incident report that, before crossing the barrier and falling into the moat, witnesses heard the child express an interest in going into the water and that the mother had both heard and responded to him by telling him "no." One story also mentions that the mother accompanying this child had a total of six children with her. There was no mention of another adult chaperone, and no other news agency has reported on the parent or guardians. Many folks have commented both that the mother is to blame for not supervising her son and that one cannot and should not blame the mother, as it is very easy to become separated from a child in public. While I am going to withhold specific blame in this case for the parents until I get more specific details, I do think it sounds like there was a serious lack of supervision that led to the injury of this little boy and the death of this beautiful animal.

The Cincinnati Zoo's response to the introduction of a human boy into Harambe's environ is deeply regrettable, but I'm not certain they had another option. Maynard admitted that the young boy was not being harmed while with Harambe, but he believed he was in potential danger.

"You're talking about an animal that's over 400 pounds and

extremely strong. So no, the child wasn't under attack but all

sorts of things could happen in a situation like that. He certainly

was at risk," Maynard tells WLWT.

Many people did not understand why the Response Team chose a lethal kill over the use of tranquilizers. It took 10 minutes for Security to arrive and it is reported that the child was in the enclosure for 10-15 minutes. We can speculate, in hindsight, what they should have done but, in fact, they had moments to make a decision. Harambe, a 400lb wild animal, fairly new to the zoo and (as can be seen in the video) somewhat agitated by all that was going on, was hands-on with the 4-year-old that had entered his territory. Not under attack, but potentially at risk. Shooting him with a tranquilizer gun would have startled him, probably increasing his agitation, and the effects of the tranquilizing agent would have taken a couple minutes to take effect.

It's a tragedy, any way you look at it.

There was one foolproof way to have prevented it, though.  If Harambe had never been a captive gorilla, on display for thousands of people to walk by and point and shout at, he would never have come in contact with this 4-year-old boy and no one would have had to make the tragic decision to shoot and kill him. That is fact.

And to even suggest, as some have, that Harambe didn't suffer, yesterday or during his entire life in captivity is a shameful statement.

Zoos are being touted as institutions of conservation and education.  And The Cincinnati Zoo has been better than most in both of these efforts. But as a lifelong supporter of this zoo, as someone who was active in youth programs there, volunteered there, attended many behind-the-scenes events there I have, over the last several years, begun to grow into a new understanding of what zoos are to the animals they hold captive. And I've come to see the zoo from the perspective of the animal and, equally as important, I think, I've begun to rethink our methods of conservation.

Now, when I go to the zoo, I can't see past the swaying elephants and the pacing cats.  The animals that are chewing the bars of their cages and the solitary birds that are kept in darkened, cramped quarters with no room to fly and plastic foliage, pretty and on display for our pleasure. Now, when I go to the zoo, tears fill my eyes when I see tiny terrarium after terrarium filled with snakes and frogs and lizards, destined to live life in a 12x6 in glass cell. Now, when I go to the zoo, I hear people talk about conservation, but I see common birds and reptiles, captive, not to conserve, but to exhibit as museum pieces for profit.

Harambe, like many others, was born a captive to remain a captive until death. Is this conservation?

Metta to all who remain captive.

March, 2017 - Follow-up commentary

The little boy who fell into the enclosure was taken to Children's Hospital, but not seriously injured.  Investigation by local authorities determined that the parents - and the mother, in particular - would not be charged in the incident, even though there was an international outcry after the gorilla was shot and killed. 

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/hamilton-co-prosecutor-to-announce-whether-parents-of-boy-will-be-charged-for-gorillas-death

Some of the more thoughtful commentary after the incident by experts in the fields of zoology, conservation, and anthropology focused on where we should be moving in terms of conservation and education in the future and what place zoos have in society.  A particularly interesting one, worth listening to is here, The Future of Zoos:

https://dianerehm.org/shows/2016-06-21/rethinking-zoos

The barrier which was breached by the child has since been further secured and a sign has been added by the zoo, not only at the gorilla enclosure, but at similar barriers all around the zoo. The USDA had not found the zoo non-compliant in earlier inspections. 

 http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/11/17/report-cincy-zoos-gorilla-barrier-wasnt-compliance/94025422/

There will be a great deal more to say about this and similar incidents in future blogs.

Metta to all.

Defining Suffering

     Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines suffering in the following way: "...pain that is caused by injury, illness, loss, etc. : physical, mental, or emotional pain." https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suffering 
     The Cambridge Dictionary defines suffering as "physical or mental pain."  http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/suffering

     Although all of the world's many religious and spiritual communities have their own beliefs about who suffers, and the causes and remedies for that suffering, there is not a lot of disagreement among the educated and compassionate that all sentient beings do experience physical and emotional pain.  The human body is subject to physical injury and in all but rare cases, the physiological reaction to such injury is pain. The same holds true for animals. There hasn't been a study conducted or published by a reputable scientist to show that animals do not feel pain.

    Many people on a very basic level, though, struggle with this notion and also - even more so - with the idea that animals can and do suffer in similar ways that humans do on an emotional level. I personally wonder if this is a protective device, a kind of rationalizing people use; it would be difficult - for some, anyway - to enjoy a cheeseburger or plate of lobster if you thought the cow that was slaughtered for the meat or the lobster that was boiled alive actually felt any real pain, or that their babies suffered any true grief at losing their moms.

    Many, if not most people, choose not to think about how the meat gets on their plates or what the dairy cow goes through when she's no longer able to produce any more milk.  Most people don't think about the hours that the cows and pigs spend crammed into overloaded trucks on hot highways on the way to the slaughterhouse.  Most don't think about the minutes they spend before being killed, smelling those killed before them.

    Many people don't think about the rabbits that are restrained while cosmetics are smeared on their eyeballs, to make sure they are safe for us.  Or the monkeys whose brains are exposed for testing and left exposed, while they are observed.  Or the beagles who are bred and raised to become test subjects in labs. Many people don't realize that all of these animals, after being cut open while awake, while suffering unimaginable pain and suffering for days, weeks, and months, sometimes years, are then killed and discarded like the week's trash.  And almost no one understands that most of this unregulated and non compulsory "research" yields NOTHING new and NOTHING useful to humans. And sometimes, it leads to incorrect and fatal results.

    There are always alternatives, though, and there is always something we can do. We can decide not to participate in activities that create more suffering in the world and we can spread the word about those products, companies, individuals, industries, and behaviors that promote it. We can research the alternatives, insist companies utilize them, lobby and petition for the government and companies to stop needless animal testing and the use of animals in their products, and boycott companies that participate in activities and produce products that create such suffering. We can pledge to follow a diet that is cruelty-free, and to live a more cruel-free lifestyle.  There is always something we can do.

    Metta to all.

Welcome to Suffering for Us

    Thank you for visiting Suffering for Us, a new and - hopefully - weekly blog dedicated to the exploration of our use and exploitation of animals in a variety of industries including, but not limited to circuses, zoos, fashion, cosmetics, medicine, entertainment, and agriculture.

     This blog will probably be different from many sites that you've seen that have dealt with this issue. While I lean very strongly (to the point of tipping over) on the side of animals in all cases when pitted against humans, I also believe that there is value in listening and hearing all sides of an argument. My purpose here will be to research and present those sides and, in some cases, to work through my own biases and ambivalence, but always to find the resolution that results in the least amount of suffering.

     My own ethics are centered in basic Buddhist philosophy, but I also have a strong connection to earth-based spirituality. Although this is a personal blog and much of what I write here will likely emanate from my own beliefs and experiences, I am interested in exploring other perceptions as well. We cannot come to a consensus of how we can help make this a better world if we don't understand each other's ideas and views.

     If you have topics you'd like to see discussed or suggestions for issues you think would benefit from more research, drop me an email or a comment and I will see what I can do. I am especially interested in working to decrease the number of wild animals in captivity and stories that will support that mission would also be greatly appreciated.

     I will be making a liberal use of photos, videos, and links throughout the blog. Photos and videos are all my own and under copyright unless otherwise stated, and may not be copied or printed and used for anything other than personal enrichment unless prior written permission is obtained from me.

      I welcome - and encourage - comments, positive and critical, and discussion, whether or not you agree with what I'm saying, but I will not tolerate abusive language or attacks, toward me or anyone else who comments here. Those types of comments will be deleted. I'm interested in facilitating greater understanding about these issues and dialogue that will stimulate critical thinking around the issue of suffering and, in turn, a deeper compassion for animals and for the humans who so egregiously harm them.

     Once again, thank you for visiting, and I hope you will continue on this journey with me.

    With metta (loving-kindness),

    Diane