Humans are hypocrites. I think it's the nature of the species. Especially those humans in "civilized" western nations. Its either that or they suffer a genetic flaw that makes them go into "complete ass mode" over some cause or the other. Or going off the deep end when a tragedy hits like the shooting of a 400 Lbs. lowland gorilla in a Cincinnati zoo to save a 4-year old boy who had fallen into the animal's cage. Outrage over the killing of the "silverback" -- an alpha male gorilla -- was fast and furious with some people suggesting that the animal was "protecting the child."
All of that was and is a combination of pure conjecture, unadulterated nonsense, speculation, and outright idiocy. Maybe those people understand the mind of a gorilla. Or maybe the know how to "speak gorilla" because that's the only was to gauge the animal's intentions. And since all of the people harping and carping over the decision to kill the gorilla yapping about how its "endangered" the callous suggestion was that this gorilla's life was more important than a little human boy.
For me? In this particular case the zoo, a sometimes-cruel animal jail that I do not personally like, was right, in my opinion, to shoot the gorilla. These primates, especially the males, are notoriously impulsive and unpredictable. But, of course, the shooting was unfortunate given the fact that this primate species is on the endangered list. There are possibly only about 175,000 in the wild and that number will no doubt fall as a result of hunting and loss of habitant.
This species got there because of human activity: We've encroached on their habitat, killed them off for bush meat commerce, and hunted them for fun and bragging rights. That's the bigger picture here. We are quick to express outrage when an incident like this happens but think nothing of going "sport hunting" and killing of many other endangered animals and species. Humans have never seen another animal species that they did not like or want to kill. Infact, we now have "canned hunts" in America and a lot of "defective animals" are supplied to these sport hunting lodges by zoos.
Harambe the gorilla, just like Cecil the lion, are victims of human hypocrisy, human stupidity, and human arrogance that says "we own the planet" and we don't have to share it with animals -- even our closest relatives. But the moral compass of humans gets out of whack often when our priorities become skewered and, well, we screw up. And that happens very often. Consider the following: Boko Haram, a fanatical religious guerilla group in Nigeria has abducted over 250 girls and still holds most captive to this day. Outrage? Nine days then forgotten. There was more outrage and anger over the "sport murder" of Cecil the Lion than for 250 humans whose fate is uncertain.
Honor killings, honor rapes, modern slavery -- in the western world - and butchering of elephants, bisons and wolves are routine things that happen EVERY BLOODY DAY across the world and only a handful of people are raising their voices in protest. They are drowned out on Social Media, mainstream TV, and sundry talking heads that help shape totally misplaced human priorities. So the rest of humanity go on about its business in a stupor of self-righteousness until an accident and tragedy as what was comingled in the Cincinnati zoo brings their feigned, hypocritical outrage to the fore bubbling with sanctimonious clap-trap.
And the so-called celebrities are the worst kind of human hypocrites. Part of the wealthy privileged upper class in nations like the United States, they believe that their make-believe world of film, movies, and television somehow qualifies them as experts on conservation and preservation. Their egotism knows no bounds and so they trot off to Africa to "rescue some staving child" and return to the United States to the glaring flashbulbs of the news media that helps to build their celebrity profile. It is self-serving hypocrisy at it best.
They have adopted many animal causes. And let me say that any progressive cause that they support is not a bad thing in and of itself. But these same people are the ones that buy so-called exotic pets like albino snakes, endangered birds and primates to adorn their huge mansions to wow and show off to gaga visitors. See what I mean? Then you have the animal rights zealots. They are just as bad with their "all or nothing" attitude that countenances no middle ground. Ultimately, as the Harambe/zoo tragedy revealed, they elevate animals to near human levels. Admittedly, some human behavior is an insult and embarrassment to all animals. But in the end Harambe, although bred in captivity, was a WILD ANIMAL. He did not have the capacity to REASON. Thus, he would have done instinctively what a wild animal will do when its habitat and territory is breached -- defend and protect it. Meaning kill anything that's not supposed to be there.
The way these people react to Harambe's demise is that the zoo's authorities should have had a conversation with him! But their position also underscores the utter ignorance of what a lowland gorilla is and what it is capable of doing. Harambe at 17 years old and weighing just over 400 lbs. AND standing over 5 ft. tall is as strong as 10 or 15 fully grown men. With a CASUAL swing of that 4-year old, Harambe could have struck him against the rocks. The child would have been killed INSTANTLY. These animals easily crack open coconuts and rip the arms off of rivals of similar size an strength. So think of what it would have taken Harambe to tear of the limb of such a small child.
But noooo. Hear them in full delusional mode: The gorilla was "protecting" the child. He was not violent. Why not shoot him with a tranquilizer dart? Did it have to be a kill shot? It's the mother to blame -- not Harambe. Had Harambe killed the child these same people would have berated the zoo for not "protecting human life!" The very next day Social Media would be awash with Monday morning quarterbacks spewing their own specially packaged brand of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is really a human trait!
Okay, okay. The child's mother does have to bear some, but not all, of the blame. How does your child get away from you and breach a fence in a zoo with nobody noticing is beyond me. Maybe she was on the phone or taking photos to send to her friends on Facebook. Yep, she should have been keeping an eye on her child especially after he asked to go into the animal's cage. But these "modern Mums" believe that letting a 4-yeard old child wander unattended and left to his own devices is "progressive parenting" where the child is allowed to make mature adult decisions. This is supposed to be the "I love you" moment -- do what you want. And, if published reports are anything to go by, I hear the mother said: "Mummy loves you" while Harambe was playing the gorilla version of water sports with her son. How's that for parenting?
Now I'm not going to say she is a bad mother as some have said, obviously content to blame the mother for the zoo's actions. That's plain stupid. But again, it does show the remarkable degeneration of human thinking when they mix up reality with fantasy. These are the same people who would think nothing of equating Black people with monkeys, who have very little sympathy for Muslims, Arabs and others, and who allow wars in "our name" that kill thousands of "other" humans -- not Americans. These are some of the same people who lost no sleep when children from Latin America fleeing brutal gang environment were held in small cages that were smaller, in fact, tiny, when compared with the enclosure that Harambe lived in.
What a bunch of hypocrites!
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