Staff at the zoo in Cincinatti, Ohio, shot the endangered primate fearing four-year-old boy Isaiah's life was at risk.
Now couple Michelle Gregg, 32, and Deonne Dickerson, 37, have been blasted by those angry at the endangered animal's tragic death.
One Twitter user wrote: "How about blaming the f*****g numb-nut parents. Shoot them not the Gorilla."
"I'm pro animals. Take better care of your 3yr old F*****G KID you lazy son of a b***h. Shoot the parents first then the gorilla. Rant over," wrote one furious tweeter.
Another said: "Feel for the gorilla. Didn't deserve to get shot. Shoot the s****y mum instead."
The couple, who reportedly have four children together, are now facing neglect charges over the incident in Cincinnati, Ohio.
New HD footage shows how gorilla showed protective behaviour towards child before being shot
Reporters outside the couple's Ohio home were turned away politely, with the family even said to have turned down a big money offer from a New York breakfast show as they shield themselves from the massive social media backlash.
According to police reports, the father has a lengthy criminal history spanning years with charges including burglary, firearms offences, drug trafficking, criminal trespass and kidnap.
But Dickerson appears to have made a remarkable turnaround in recent years – with frequent posts on Facebook showing updates of his children and working life, Daily Mail Online reports.
The industrial worker was also congratulated by friends last January when he had his fourth child with Deonne.
She is an administrator at a Cincinnati pre-school and has faced heavy criticism after attempting to defend what happened by claiming that “accidents can happen”.
New footage emerged last night that appeared to show the “gentle giant” protecting the child rather than posing any threat.
Responding on Facebook shortly after the incident, Michelle said: "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 to get to 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."
Zookeeper Jack Hanna backed the zoo's decision.
He said "I've seen him (Harambe) take a green coconut, which you can't bust open with a sledgehammer and squish it" he told "Good Morning America."
No comments:
Post a Comment