Outrage has continued to grow over the killing of a 17-year-old gorilla after a child fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. And now, thousands are calling for the boy's parents to be held responsible.
By Monday morning, more than 100,000 people had signed a "Justice for Harambe" online petition calling for the zoo, law enforcement and child protective services to hold the parents responsible. The petition is just one of 10 on Change.org related to Saturday's incident.
The zoo made the decision to shoot Harambe, a male western lowland gorilla, to protect a 4-year-old boy who climbed into the animal's enclosure and fell into a moat. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered.
The zoo's director told Newsy's partners at WCPO the Dangerous Animal Response Team decided against using a tranquilizer because it would take a while to set in and would agitate the gorilla.
But not everyone agrees with the decision. One petition calls for an investigation into the zoo's actions, while another calls for the state of Ohio to create "Harambe's law," which would hold visitors accountable for actions that lead to the injury or death of an endangered animal at a zoo.
As for the boy, he is reportedly home after being treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
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