The value of an animal’s life

Western Lowland Gorillas are primates (any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys) and the smallest subspecies of Gorilla, but yet exhibit exceptional size and strength. They live in dense rain forests of Africa. They do not have tails and have jet black skin with coarse black hair that covers their entire body.

As the males grow older, the hair on the back takes on a grey tinge, earning them the name “Silverbacks”. They usually travel in groups, and show strong bonding among themselves. Gorillas are usually peaceful, unless attacked or disturbed. They are also highly intelligent animals, and are capable of using tools. They have also been shown to learn human sign language.

The Lowland Gorillas are classified as critically endangered species, as they face a threat due to habitat loss from deforestation, and also from people who hunt them for bushmeat. Recently, a Lowland Gorilla named Harambe was gunned down in a Cincinnati Zoo to save the four year old child who climbed into the enclosure.

A tranquilizer was not used on the Gorilla, as it would take 8-10 minutes for it to take effect, and also because the zoo officials feared that it might agitate the animal further. Experts now say that the Gorilla was only displaying normal playful behaviour, though it could still have been dangerous for the child.

Though there seems to have been little choice in the situation, the incident throws up some important questions: How can an enclosure be termed “safe” when a child can enter it easily? How can we ethically defend the killing of an animal that was imprisoned for human entertainment in the first place? And when we know it is a critically endangered species, is it right to have a specimen taken out from its natural territory to be kept in a zoo? In this day and age, where through technology, we can watch wildlife in their natural habitat, is a zoo necessary?

With World Environment Day just behind us, it is time we realize that the “need” for such a day, arose because we prioritized human life and human comfort over that of our fellow creatures, leading to ecological imbalance.

Look at his size! That’s huge!” cried a visitor, rapidly clicking away with his camera. Bright flashes of light from the powerful camera seemed to momentarily blind the animal in the enclosure, who looked puzzled and rubbed his eyes, and he turned his face away.

“Not there, look here! Here, monkey!” cried a woman, as she tried to take a ‘selfie’ of herself with the gorilla from outside the enclosure, using her mobile phone.

“That’s not a monkey, woman”, said her husband scornfully. “Honestly, can’t you see the difference? That’s a… a Western… Lowland … Gorilla!” He read from the sign board in front of the enclosure.

It was a bright summer morning, and the zoo was teeming with people, mostly families with kids who had their summer vacation. A huge crowd was seen around almost every enclosure, and everyone was busy taking photographs with their mobile phones, mostly ‘selfies’, while instantly posting them on Instagram and Facebook, and talking about how many ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ they’d got.
“Wow, Lisa says my hair looks even better than Katie’s”, continued the woman, unmindful of her husband’s reprimand. “My bangs look adorable!”

“Katie who?” asked the husband, surprised.

“The movie star, of course!” said the woman indignantly, as she tried out another pose in front of the enclosure.

“Ah”, said the husband. “I thought you’d given the Gorilla a new name.”

“Of course not!” cried the woman indignantly. “As if I’d compare my hair to the Gorilla’s! What nonsense!”

Their ten-year-old daughter, Cindy, interrupted them. “Dad, it says ‘Critically Endangered Species’ here”, she said, pointing at the sign. “What does that mean?”

“It probably means it’s a dangerous animal, darling”, said the mother.

The father slapped his forehead in exasperation. “It would be best if you do not try to teach our daughter all the wrong things”, he said, as his daughter giggled.

“A critically endangered species is one that has high chances of becoming extinct in the wild”, he explained. “That means, we should do everything we can to save each and every Lowland Gorilla from death, and ensure that their habitats in the wild are not affected by
human activity. That way, they will survive, and give birth to more offspring, thus ensuring that their kind is not wiped out from the face of the Earth.”

“I’m going to be a conservationist when I grow up!” said Cindy excitedly.

“That’s the spirit!” laughed the father, while the mother pretended not to hear them, and moved away to the next enclosure.

The Gorilla seemed to be attracting a lot of onlookers. It was lifting a bucket that was kept near it, dipping it into the stream of water that ran through its enclosure, and filling it up, then emptying it again. A crowd had gathered around to watch the Gorilla’s tool-wielding skills.

“Make way, make way” said a woman, pushing the people around. “I can’t see a thing, and nor can my kids. Noel, come here! You should be getting a good view now!”

The new visitor had four kids of various ages, and struggled to keep them all with her. The eldest, a girl of 13, seemed content to stare disinterestedly all around her, while lazily sipping her Coke, and the one called Noel, around ten years old, ran around, trying to get a good view of the Gorilla.

A seven-month-old baby was in her arms, and a four year old boy kept tugging at her dress, all the while bawling and whining.

“I want to go play with the monkeys, I do, I do!” he cried, as she tried to keep a hold on him, simultaneously balancing the baby on her other arm.

“Now, Joe. I’ve told you many times, and I’m telling you again. These animals aren’t your pets for you to play with. You will not play with any animal here”, warned the mother.

“But I want to, I want to!” cried the boy, and lay down flat on the floor, hitting the ground with his fists.

“Get up now, Joe! You can’t get your way all the time! Stop throwing a tantrum and be a good boy.”

The boy wouldn’t listen. For another two minutes, he continued his act, still bawling at the top of his voice. His mother ignored him.

Curious onlookers glanced at him, but there was too much mayhem in the zoo anyway for his voice to be heard above the cacophony. At last the boy got up slowly, tears rolling down his cheeks. He held on to his mother’s dress, sobbing and muttering, while his mother tried to take photographs.

“I want to go in, I want to…” he kept muttering.

“Joe, just look at the animals from here”, she said, a little absent-mindedly, pulling the child’s hand and drawing him close.

“Mom, I’m Noel. Joe’s not here”, came a voice.

The woman turned around to find her older son standing beside her. “Where’s he gone now? Joe!”

A sudden shout from the onlookers drew them back to the enclosure. “Oh my God, look! There’s a child in there!”

The mother screamed. “That’s my Joe! Joe, Joe, come back!”

But Joe was now right in front of the Gorilla, shocked into silence by the creature’s size and form. He couldn’t hear his mother. But even if he did, he could do nothing to get away, for fear had suddenly frozen him to stone.

The crowd went into a frenzy. Screams rent the air, and everyone was shouting. People suddenly wanted to know the details and suggest solutions.

“How did he get in?”

“Someone call the Police!”

“Dial 911!”

“Where are the zoo authorities? Call them here, right now!”

“What kind of a Zoo is this? Are there no safety measures in place?”

“Someone better shoot that creature before I do it myself!”

People leant over the wall of the enclosure, making weird noises and gestures, trying to scare the Gorilla away from the kid. But the sudden noise and violent gestures only seemed to confuse the Gorilla more. It looked at the child crying in front of it.

Didn’t it look like one of its own babies, back in the forest? Maybe all these humans were after the baby, the Gorilla seemed to think, and instead of moving away from the child, it moved in closer, shielding him from view.

But the commotion increased, confusing the Gorilla further. Grabbing the child by his ankle, the Gorilla dragged him away like a rag doll, as far away as possible from the onlookers.

“My son! He’ll be killed!” cried the mother, collapsing into a faint.

The Zoo authorities arrived on the spot. “How did the kid get in?” asked one of them in wonder.

“Is that more important to you right now?” asked one of the bystanders. “Kill the Gorilla and save the child!”

“What if we tranquilize the Gorilla first….” suggested another visitor.

“The child will be dead meat by the time the tranquilizer takes effect” said another.

There was no further discussion. A few seconds later, the officials fired shots at the Gorilla, which died instantly. Joe was rescued, and handed over to the distraught mother.

The child was rushed to the hospital, and the zoo authorities started clearing away the crowds.

Cindy, the young girl who wanted to be a conservationist, turned to her Dad after watching the entire episode.

“Dad”, she said. “You said the Gorilla is a critically endangered species right?”

The father quietly nodded his head. “Then why did they kill him?”

“The child’s life is valuable. He might have been killed”, he said softly.

“Then, what about the Gorilla that was taken away from its family and kept imprisoned in a zoo here, Dad? Doesn’t an animal’s life have any value?”

Her father had no answer.

By: Sneha Verghese