Mom Defends Herself From Backlash After Son Leads to Gorilla Being Killed at Zoo
The mother of the 4-year-old boy, who slipped into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday, has hit back against people criticizing her parenting.
Michelle Gregg defended herself in a now-deleted Facebook post, writing: “God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him. My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes… no broken bones or internal injuries.”
She wrote, “As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen…”
Social media users slammed Michelle for allegedly not paying close enough attention to her son, writing that she was responsible for the death of Harambe, the 17-year-old, 450-pound male Western Lowland gorilla, who was shot to protect the boy.
Animal activists have started an online petition called “Justice for Harambe,” calling for Hamilton County Child Protection Services and the Cincinnati Police Department to encourage action against Michelle.