Cincinnati zoo

Fiona was born six weeks early and weighed only 29 pounds, making her the lightest hippo calf on record.

Brittany Nicely isn’t the mother of the boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo, but she was a witness to it, and had been interviewed about the incident. Some people online are confusing Nicely for the mother of the boy, and are blaming her for the death of the gorilla, who was shot by zookeepers out of safety concerns.

The gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo will re-open next week, with a taller barrier to prevent accidental entry into the enclosure. A gorilla was shot by zookeepers last week after a 4-year old boy had fallen into the exhibit.

The rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers has bubbled over the shooting of a silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, which has drawn national outcry over the death of the animal.

Jane Goodall wrote an email to the Cincinnati Zoo director, Thane Maynard, on May 31 saying she believed the gorilla may have been protecting the boy who fell into the animal’s exhibit.

After the shooting of the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, many zoo-goers said that the animal had treated the child gently, but others saw a different picture.

Officials at the Cincinnati Zoo defended their decision to shoot a gorilla to protect a 4-year old boy who had fallen into the enclosure area, stating that they “would make the same decision” to shoot the animal if given the chance. The boy had been dragged around by the gorilla, named Harambe, and was sitting between his legs when the gorilla was shot and killed.