Numerous celebrities have spoken out after a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla named Harambe was fatally shot Saturday to protect a child who fell into the animal’s Cincinnati Zoo enclosure.
The killing has sparked a debate around the world as to who is to blame for gorilla’s death.
“We are heartbroken about losing Harambe, but a child’s life was in danger and a quick decision had to be made by our Dangerous Animal Response Team,” Zoo director Thane Maynard said in a statement.
It appears two sides have formed, those who blame the parents for apparently not watching the child close enough, and those who blame the zoo for the area being at all accessible to patrons.
Below are celebrity reactions to the incident:
Damn homie.. You was just chillin at your crib. R.I.P pic.twitter.com/shTdDzldwh
— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) May 30, 2016
It seems that some gorillas make better parents than some people.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) May 29, 2016
If your kid purposefully falls into a gorilla cage, you should just tell your kid goodbye. That’s called Darwinism.
— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) May 30, 2016
Oh the poor gorilla,he did nothing wrong,if you watch the video,so sad..as a mother I would’ve jumped in too.
— Lisa Vanderpump (@LisaVanderpump) May 30, 2016
If you leave your kid in a car you go to jail, if you let your kid fall into a Gorilla Enclosure u should too! #TeamDl
— DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) May 30, 2016
It saddens me to no end that a gorilla had to be put down because of an irresponsible parent. However you look at it, that’s just sad.
— Katee Sackhoff (@kateesackhoff) May 30, 2016
If I ever let my toddler fall into a gorilla enclosure please leave the gorilla alone and just shoot me.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) May 29, 2016
Taking their eye off the ball, but no child should ever be able to crawl into a gorilla compound. https://t.co/intjxDvUqk
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 29, 2016
How was the gorilla enclosure not child proof? You’re dealing with an endangered species & yet you’ve made it possible for kids to fall in?
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) May 29, 2016
For the record, the parents are absolutely partially at fault, but it shouldn’t have been possible, unsupervised or otherwise.
— Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) May 29, 2016
Below is the full statement from the Cincinnati Zoo on the death of the gorilla:
A 4-year-old boy climbed through a public barrier at Gorilla World at around 4pm today (May 28) at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and fell into the exhibit’s moat. The two female gorillas in the exhibit were recalled immediately, but the third, a male, remained in the yard with the child. The Zoo’s Dangerous Animal Response Team responded to the life-threatening situation and made the difficult decision to dispatch the gorilla (Harambe).
“The Zoo security team’s quick response saved the child’s life. We are all devastated that this tragic accident resulted in the death of a critically-endangered gorilla,” said Zoo Director Thane Maynard. “This is a huge loss for the Zoo family and the gorilla population worldwide.”
The child was alert when transported to Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The hospital is not releasing details on his condition. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and little boy,” said Maynard.
The Zoo will be open tomorrow, but Gorilla World will be closed until further notice.
This article originally appeared in THR.com.