It's a scary situation that has zoos across the country taking a close look at their policies. A child fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, and the animal was shot and killed by staff. Jeff Taylor of 'The Wild Animal Park' in Chittenango agrees with the decision that was made by zookeepers to save the child's life. He explained to our Iris St. Meran what safety measures are in place if an emergency happened there.
CHITTENANGO, N.Y. -- The Wild Animal Park doesn't have any gorillas on exhibit, but they do have they have a number in the same class of dangerous animals including lions, tigers and grizzly bears. Owner Jeff Taylor said they take every possible precaution to keep everyone safe.
"We have perimeter fences basically to keep the public back and then we have their enclosure fence,” Taylor said, “We have a little bit of a different design than those zoos that would prevent us from dealing with that situation."
That situation he's referring to happened over the weekend when a four-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure. A video shows the gorilla grabbing the child by the leg and then dragging him through the water. The animal was shot and killed out of fear for the child's life. As a zookeeper, Taylor agreed with that decision.
"That gorilla is 400 pounds. It's about 8 to 10 times stronger than a human being," Taylor said. "You have people screaming, yelling, waving; a gorilla's instincts, especially the male, the leader of the group, the silver back, is to protect his family or his group."
Taylor hasn't been to Cincinnati Zoo, but he explained his alligator enclosure is similar where you can look down on the animals. He does stress that parents should make sure their children are not sitting on the ledge, but they do have safety protocols in case an emergency happens.
"We would clear the area. Obviously, with this pit I would jump in. We have a supervisor within eyesight of here. We have people positioned all over the park,” Taylor said, “They would make an emergency call."
He said this would all happen within a split second. MaryBeth Nappa is member and comes to the park often with her daughter 3-year-old Bella Rose and says she takes her own precautions in places such as this.
"I'm always holding her hand and if I'm not holding her hand, she is right next to me,” Nappa said, “I don't allow her to go running off without me."
Taylor said this was an accident that can happen anywhere. The Wild Animal Park has signs warning of danger and hopes that combined with their precautions and parents' vigilance will make the visit to the park an enjoyable one.