Of course it was an accident.

We went to the zoo here in Portland when I was 12. I climbed up and leaned over a railing that was about 6 feet away from the lip of the actual enclosure. YOU COULD HEAR MY MOTHER YELLING ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE ZOO: “GET THE HELL OFF THAT RAILING.” There were four of us, the youngest 2 years old. She was on it, because she was attentive and knew there WAS danger. My two year old brother’s hand Never left hers.

And, yes I am one of those leaving a comment, that Hey lady, your lucky your child is alive and that there are around 2000 gorillas left and about a third of those are mountain gorillas. Too bad your negligence got a gorilla killed.

Yes. the zoo had no choice; the gorilla could have literally Ripped that child’s arm right off when he picked it up. but her ACCIDENT COST THE WORLD A RARE, AND RAPIDLY DISAPPEARING ANIMAL. Personally I know that the gorilla is more valuable to this world than any of the 3 billion+ humans running around — YEAH LADY, ME INCLUDED. Parenting has gone way down over the past 40 years or so. I’m 60; I’ve seen it. I almost had my fingers smashed by a 5 or 6 year old who thought it was funny to ram me with a shopping cart. Those parents ran out of the store when I yelled for the manger and yelled at them,“that kid could have broken my fingers.”
 The kid laughed. the parents got really big eyes, turned on heel abandoning the shopping cart. They didn’t even say anything to the wretched brat they spawned as they hurried out of the store. You gen X,Y and Millennials need to learn that parenting is 24/7 for 18–20 years and if you want to be a slacker then DONT HAVE CHILDREN. You endanger all of us with your lazy, indulgent attitude toward parenting. Once you assume responsibility for something that cannot take responsibility for itself, then don’t take that responsibility seriously, YOU ENDANGER ALL OF US, YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN INCLUDED. And since you are a mother too, you know what I have said is true.