The story of Harambe, a 17-year-old endangered gorilla in the Cincinnati Zoo sparked nationwide controversy. Now, the mother of the four year old boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit is speaking out.
Michelle Gregg, 32, who visited the Cincinnati Zoo along with Deonne Dickerson, 36, and their four children, wrote a Facebook post expressing her feelings about the incident:
“I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers today. What started off as a wonderful day turned into a scary one. For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that fell in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. God protected my child until the authorities were able t0 get him. MY son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes…no broken bones or internal injuries. As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today. Thank you to everyone that helped me and my son today and most importantly God for being the awesome God He is.”
Since the incident, Gregg, an administrator at a Cincinnati pre-school, has come under fire for neglect, as petitions have been circulated for the mother to be criminally charged for the killing of the 450 pound Western Lowland gorilla.
The zoo also released a statement on Saturday (May 28):
“We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child’s life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team.”
Animal activists have since launched an online petition called “Justice for Harambe.” If the petition reaches 150,000 signatures, it will be sent to the Cincinnati Zoo, along with the Cincinnati Police Department and the Hamilton County Child Protection Services to encourage criminal action against Gregg.
