The family of a boy who survived a 15-foot fall into a gorilla exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo says he is home from the hospital and doing fine. Zoo director Thane Maynard says a special animal response team shot and killed a 17-year-old, 400 pound gorilla that grabbed the boy Saturday afternoon because the team believed the 4-year-old's life was in danger.
The child had crawled through the railing and fell into the gorilla enclosure. Maynard said the gorilla was disoriented when he discovered the boy in the enclosure. Maynard says the barriers around the enclosure are safe.
The boy and his family haven't been identified and are asking for privacy. Witness Kim O'Connor says she heard the boy say he wanted to get in the water with the gorillas. Online petitions from animal rights activists are calling for a new law with penalties for zoo visitors whose negligence leads to the death of an endangered animal.