HUMAN LIFE ALWAYS TOP PRIORITY OVER ANIMAL’S

As horrible as it may have been to see Harambe the gorilla slain, animal lovers need to stop criticizing Cincinnati zoo officials for doing what they had to do after a little boy fell into his enclosure.

It is devastating that an innocent animal was shot and killed, but you can’t take any risks when a young child is being dragged underwater like a rag doll by a 420-pound animal.

Activists claim Harambe was trying to protect the little boy after he fell 15 feet into the water of the exhibit. The video shows the gorilla standing over the child in the corner of the pen, and moments later the gorilla is aggressively pulling the child through the water. Regardless of the gorilla’s intentions, the toddler is lucky his neck wasn’t snapped.

And in the end we will never know what Harambe’s intentions were, and it’s sad the circumstance was thrust on the gorilla. But the zoo absolutely did the right thing in acting quickly to protect the child.

Shame on those who value the life of a gorilla over a four-year-old boy.

Also, shame on those parents who weren’t closely watching their son — allowing him to slip through a small opening. Luckily the boy wasn’t seriously injured and they can thank fastthinking zoo employees for that.

The Monday morning quarterbacks have wondered why the zoo couldn’t have shot the 17-year-old gorilla with a tranquilizer gun.

Thane Maynard, director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, said in a statement, “Tranquilizers do not take effect for several minutes, and the child was in imminent danger. On top of that, the impact from the dart could agitate the animal and cause the situation to get much worse.”

So these enraged animal enthusiasts would like a massive animal to be left alone in his cage after just being shot awaiting his sedation?

I go to the Franklin Park Zoo about 12 times a year with my family and always have been so concerned how careless parents can be there. Moms and dads need to put down their selfie sticks and realize that while the zoo is a great family experience, it can also be very dangerous.

Parents should really take this tragic situation as a wake-up call. Watch your kids and stop treating the zoo as your kid’s personal playground. As we learned, the consequences can be far more dire than falling off a swingset.

Jaclyn Cashman is cohost “Morning Meeting” from 9 a.m. to noon on Boston Herald Radio. Follow her on twitter at @JaclynCashman.

AP PHOTOS PRIMATE MEMORIAL: Children place flowers at a statue of a gorilla, above, in memory of Harambe, the gorilla shot to death Sunday when a boy fell in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. A sympathy card, top left, memorializes the fallen primate.