If I Ran the Zoo

Lately I have liked to use the phrase, “you can’t rationalize with an irrational person.”  So keep that in mind as you read the rest of this blog…

I am 100% a supporter of animal right and believe we (the human race) have done more to hurt animals on our planet than we have done to protect them.  I know there are a million conservation activists who are up in arms about the Cincinnati Zoo and Harambe the Gorilla situation and I don’t blame them.  A defenseless animal was shot and killed.  But, the people who are calling for this parent to be jailed or her child taken away are out of their minds, let alone the ones who think the gorilla should have been left alone once it began dragging the child around by his legs.

Here is where my quote to live by comes into play … that “it is not rational to try and argue with irrational people.”  This blog is exactly what it set out to be: a real world take on the #DadLife.  It’s a way to laugh at some of the more scary aspects of parenting. I’ve had some interesting takes on some crazy issues of being a dad.   It doesn’t surprise me that people say the gorilla should have lived. My problem is thinking that a four year old can’t just slip away no matter how closely you are watching them.  If you think that’s impossible or has never happened than you have never tried to watch a toddler at the mall, or a park or birthday party before.  Keeping track of a toddler by themselves, let alone in a crowd, is like trying to catch smoke in your bare hands.  Toddlers are slippery little creatures.

I’m not saying it’s the norm to take your child to the zoo and have him or her end up playing pat-a-cake with an 800lbs gorilla… don’t get me wrong that is some horrible parenting for sure.  What I am saying is that children get lost in stores and at six flags every day.  If you don’t think you can lose track of your child you’re insane.  I’ve learned as a parent to prepare for the worst and keep your head on a swivel.  But as long as this parent wasn’t having a cigarette in the food court while her child was sneaking into the gorilla pit like Indiana Jones into an Egyptian tomb, then we need to cut her a little slack.

The other issue I have here is with the people who think that the gorilla could have been saved and are outraged that he was killed.  Again, I am a dog lover.  I would literally do anything to protect my dogs.  Listen, I’ve literally climbed out on a third-story balcony and tiptoed on a broken catwalk to save a baby raccoon.  Animals deserve to be treated with respect, but if you genuinely, truly think that a FOUR YEAR OLD should have been left to be thrashed around by a dump truck sized gorilla than I am not sure if you are trustworthy enough to have children in the first place.

Many people are asking why the gorilla was not tranquilized. “The tranquilizer possibly could have worked, but the key term there is ‘possibly.’ And if you were to fire a dart at an animal, he could react violently to the first opportunity that presents itself, and that would have been that small child,” said Ed Hansen, CEO of the American Association of Zoo Keepers.. “Unfortunately for the gorilla, the only really positive way to ensure the safety of the child was to dispatch the lethal force.”

It is a horrible tragedy for the wildlife and the family involved. What gets me in this whole situation is those who present the “holier than thou” mindset. Let’s just be thankful that a little boy has the rest of his life to look forward to.  Who knows, maybe he will grow up and become an animal rights activist and spend years protecting endangered animals from harm.