I've just seen this on the news and agree it is very sad. I feel very sorry for the keepers who had to do the deed, they look after these animals and probably love them a lot. A necessary course of action though.
What I would like to know is, how did the toddler manage to get in there, it's unbelievable.
It is very sad and not the gorilla's fault. I suppose if you were the parent you'd have wanted it done. The one bibble posted though made me really angry at the time, they should have left him to it.
and there is a fella being eaten by a polar bear - dead ...
and also ... the footage of the kid falling into the moat ( pre 1999 but must be somewhere on the internet ) and the zoo staff said
we have trained for this and have a special sound - which the gorilla has been trained to react to - a special prize inside the compound ( where the gates come down )
so the sound was rung - the gorilla ran into the bit for his prize - the gate came down and the keepers could get the boy ....
Its quite clear that a small three-year old boy should not have been able to fall into the enclosure in the first place......I am just surprised that it hasn't happened before.