Prosecutors announced on Monday that they will not press criminal charges against the mother of the child who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, according to KHOU. Zoo personnel made the decision to kill Harambe, a 17-year-old endangered western lowland gorilla, after the 3-year-old was seen dragging him around.
Police investigated the actions of the child’s family prior to him falling down into Harambe’s area, to see if charges were appropriate. After conducting their investigation, they turned the matter over to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office to review the matter.
There has been a significant amount of public backlash following the Gorilla’s death. More than 200,000 people signed an online petition which aims to hold someone accountable for the death of the endangered animal.
