Two weeks after a 3-year-old boy fell into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, an Ohio prosecutor is expected to announce whether the parents of the toddler will face child endangerment charges.
The Associated Press reports that charges against the parents are unlikely, though the family has declined comment. In a statement last week, the family asked that people donate to the zoo in the gorilla’s name.
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The story made headlines when a 3-year-old boy climbed under a fence overlooking the gorilla exhibit at the zoo and fell into the habitat. Harambe, a 17-year-old rare gorilla, approached the boy and seemed to protect him, but became violent once spectators became frantic. Zoo officials were forced to enter the exhibit and kill Harambe.
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The gorilla’s death has caused outrage among animal rights activists, who said that the mother should have been keeping a more watchful eye on her son and that the gorilla should not have been punished for the boy’s mistake.
Since the incident, the zoo has heightened the barriers separating the spectators from the gorilla enclosure. The prosecutor is expected to release his decision later today.