Mom whose child fell into gorilla exhibit called 911 before his rescue
The mother of the child who recently fell into the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla exhibit dialed 911 in the moments after she a saw a 400-plus-pound gorilla standing over her son, and told the operator she couldn't watch.
Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, grabbed a hold of the 4-year-old boy and dragged him across the exhibit's moat like a doll.
"He's dragging my son!" she said on the phone, according to CNN. "I can't watch this. I cannot. I can't watch."
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The mother had reportedly called 911 because it was the quickest way she could think to notify the zoo that her child had fallen into an exhibit. She asked the operator to alert whoever was necessary.
As Harambe stopped moving and stood the boy up, the mother shouted "be calm!"
Zoo authorities fatally shot the gorilla around 10 minutes after the boy fell in. The boy suffered a concussion and minor injuries, and is reportedly doing well.
Zoo officials have said they will revamp the barriers around the gorilla enclosure, according to CNN.
Public outcry over the incident has been intense. Many animal rights activists have condemned zoo officials for killing Harambe, while others have attacked the boy's mother for what they perceive to be bad parenting.
The mother has said that her son was beside her one second and in the gorilla enclosure the next, a sentiment that at least one prominent witness seems to agree with.
Deidre Lykins, who was standing close by when the boy fell in, also called 911 and tried to calm the mother down.
“The mother was not negligent and the zoo did an awesome job handling the situation," she wrote on Facebook.
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Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
