Two Teens Taunted Gorilla Who Then Escaped

S. Telegram Via Drudge ^

[GovernmentShrinker]

They should be better prepared to use tranquilizer darts and other non-lethal means of controlling escaped animals. Sounds like this innocent gorilla was killed because zoo officials were too disorganized to distribute the right equipment to the people who needed it.

[No Blue States]

"Officials said the information, which appears credible and came from a hot line created to collect information about the incident, is helpful because it shows what might have provoked Jabari's escape."

IMO the blame can be placed completely on the zoo and those whose job it was to build secure housing for dangerous animals who are visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year.

With those numbers of visitors a few unruly teens can be guaranteed.

But yes, it would have been nice if Jabari slapped them a few times when he got out.

The cage wasnt secure, no excuse.

[af_vet_rr]

Find the two youths, cage them, pelt them with rocks, then shoot them dead.

How about putting them in a cage with another gorilla. Quite a few serial killers apparently started out abusing animals. I'm not saying these two will end up that way, but you have to wonder about somebody who would do something like this.

[hadaclueonce]

I did something about it...I moved.

[cricket]

Kids taunting; being cruel to any animal is something so heinous and sickneing. If anyone sees such intolerant behavior from a child or from anyone for that matter; I hope it will not be ignored or dismissed.

This surely was not a 'first time' for these teens who found such pleasure in mistreating an animal.

[No Blue States]

"Find the two youths, cage them, pelt them with rocks, then shoot them dead."

Not to pick a fight but that sounds like a radical PETA statement.

Shoot them?!

Lets remember we were once teens who acted up. (well, at least I was)

[B-Chan]

I'm East Dallas born and raised, but the city I knew in the '60s and '70s is gone — paved over, crumbling, and overrun by carpetbagging Yankees, ghetto gangbangers and illegal immigrants. The only way I'd move back there is if I had Mark Cuban-class wealth; I'd buy up every house in my old neighborhood and turn it into an armed compound. Even then they'd probably tax me out of existence or arrest me for racism or smoking or something. No thanks.

We've lived in Tarrant for almost six years and have never looked back. I miss the old town, and I still visit Kuby's and a couple of my old haunts from time to time, but other than that (or the occasional client) I don't go east of 360 unless I have no other choice.

[Asclepius]

Lets remember we were once teens who acted up. (well, at least I was)

Did you e.g. torture or terrorize a pit bull or a rotweiler until it became so crazed it attacked a mother and a child?

A crazed gorilla constitutes deadly force.

There are degrees of acting up. When a child gets bitten in the head by a nine hundred pound animal, those responsible should pay dearly regardless of how old they are.

[dallasgop]

If the kid's were white could they be charged with a hate crime?

[EggsAckley]

My favorite gorilla pic:

[CDHart]

"Find the two youths, cage them, pelt them with rocks, then shoot them dead."

Amen.

Carolyn

[1Old Pro]

These kids are jerks, but they're not the morons who built an escapable gorilla enclosure.

I don't understand why in this day and age we need to enclose the friendly gorilla.

[Americanchild]

The "cage" was secure for 13 years! And that's with multiple gorillas, including young ones who are much more agile. Surely we're not going down the road of " what did they know and when did they know it".

[No Blue States]

If the cages in Dallas are anything like Fort Worths Zoo, they would have had to throw it over the top (or through the fence holes)and its unlikely they hurt this big gorilla at all. It probably just made him mad.

I remember one at FW who had a very bad temper, if you even looked at him wrong he would get pissed, jump around, then beat on the glass till you thought he would break through and go on a king kong rampage.

Another female chimp used to enjoy eating her own feces in front of the crowds, they finally got rid of her. (she went on to be 1st lady in the 90s)

This article makes it sound like the teens were stoning this gorilla like a group of palestinians would like to do to do Sharon right now.I am not buying that at all.

I think the zoo staff and city are trying to pass blame from their cage building incompetence and lesson their risk of a law suit from the injured.

Here is an idea, build a cage dangerous animals cant escape from, and that unruly teens cant throw objects into..

[kitkat]

***They should be better prepared to use tranquilizer darts and other non-lethal means of controlling escaped animals. Sounds like this innocent gorilla was killed because zoo officials were too disorganized to distribute the right equipment to the people who needed it.***

I may be wrong. You really can't tell from a newspaper report, but I just can't buy the zoo's explanation. Taking care of getting the people out of danger and caring for the wounded first only allows the animal to do more harm.

[Bon mots]

[No Blue States]

"The "cage" was secure for 13 years!"

And it would have been secure on this day if the staff or whoever has the responsibility to protect the public were doing their job. Could it be after 13 years it needed repair?

I am going down the road of secure the dangerous animals from the visiting public, or expect your no cage building self to be looking for a new job. Or your zoo to be closed.

[dead]

The "cage" was secure for 13 years!

The gorilla got out, so the cage was never secure.

No gorilla happened to be sufficiently motivated until that day.

[agrarianlady]

Any news on the 3-year-old?

[Americanchild]

Well I suppose you can't please all the people... For years Dallas caged its apes in the old style bars and concrete and everyone screamed cruelty to animals. Soooo...they finally build a naturalistic exhibit with grass and trees--and no bars. It is a pit, but the terrain is hilly so it is possible to stand on a viewing platform and look across at an animal who appears to be on the same level. This is a style VERY common in modern zoos and used for many different kinds of animals. There are even places for the animals to hide completely out of sight. Now when you make something like this that looks nice and natural, and is pleasing to the animals and the public---it unfortunately makes it very easy to throw things in. People are routinely stopped and escorted away for such behavior, and there are signs posted. But one cannot keep an army of gaurds around a 2 acre exhibit! I agree that certain people failed in the recapture. BUT one cannot blame a design that is tried and true the world over.