2 ms·
I don't think that was a factor at all. They likely would have returned to their enclosures because of the cold. "Many other experts have pointed out that s
by chasil 3y ago
I don't think that was a factor at all.
They likely would have returned to their enclosures because of the cold.
"Many other experts have pointed out that since
chimpanzees do not like the cold, they would have been
likely to return to the ape house."
The risk to human life was the paramount concern.
'Beldt told me he had relived those days perhaps 1,000
times, wondering if they could have done anything
different. Every time, he comes to the same conclusion:
no. Chimpanzees can turn, and the line between play and
violence is thin. Beldt remembers a time when he sat
talking to Linda through the bars of the enclosure, and
Manda snuck up and jabbed him with a stick she had
sharpened with her teeth, just centimetres from his left
eye.
'“People without any experience of chimpanzees say: if I
had done it, I would have got some bananas, and they would
have gone back,” Beldt said. “And maybe, but maybe not.
Maybe you would have ended up in a body bag, or in 1,000
body bags, because chimps like to tear things from limb to
limb.”'
- scythe 3y agoMost animals are more dangerous when they are in what they perceive as "their territory" versus the field. A dog that is very timid on walks might jump on visitors to their house; bees that fiercely defend their hives will rarely sting when foraging; maybe you can think of other examples.
- RationalDino 3y agoI read that as, "Person who made bad decisions concludes that there was no alternative but the bad decisions made." The former keeper should have been given a chance to try. Sign a waiver, the keeper knows the risks. If the chimps leave the zoo, then shoot them. But not when they are in the ape enclosure. And for Pete's sake. Don't put people who want to run rollercoasters in charge of animal welfare.
- chasil 3y agoShe wasn't an employee at that point. It likely wasn't possible.
- RationalDino 3y agoThe hunters that they brought in who actually did the shooting were also not employees. If they could be there, she could be there. The fact that outside primatologists say that she was the likely best option supports the fact that she should have been given the chance. Before shooting.
- chasil 3y agoWell, all I can do is quote this section of the article as to why Persson was ignored after her communication attempts: '(A spokesperson for Furuvik Zoo told me that that they didn’t take Persson up on her offer because they believed that “those currently working with us are the ones who know the chimpanzees best.”)' I don't think she would have been permitted on the grounds for ideological problems, in addition to legal liabilities. ...and I'm upvoting your comments, as the ratings above aren't fair.
- tptacek 3y agoI only have what the article says to go off of, and the article says both concerns were in play.