JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's video that's been viewed millions of times: A toddler in the enclosure with Harambe, a Western Lowland Gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo.
“He could have gotten really hurt,” Ally Manuel said.
“I think they should have tackled it,” Noah Manuel said.
“If it was one of my kids, I'd want them to do whatever possible to keep them safe,” Blue Manuel said.
And that’s what the Cincinnati Zoo did by fatally shooting Harambe.
Tony Vecchio, Executive Director for Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, understands.
“If I was in the situation of the Director in Cincinnati, I would have made the same call. A child's life was in danger and you just can't take the chance of trying different options,” he said.
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We toured Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to see how safe its enclosures are. In addition to netting, there's a safety and security manager on staff, exhibit guides who remind visitors to be alert, and periodic drills.
“We practice the plan and think of all these different scenarios. What if an animal gets out?" Vecchio explained.
Vecchio said in his years at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, no one has fallen into an exhibit. He plans to keep it that way.
Zoo staff is designing a new area for gorillas and primates. It’s called “African Forest” and should be finished by 2018.