Sophie's Diary: I feel guilty to say that I agree with the killing of gorilla

I’m sure we’ve all now seen the footage of the young boy in America who fell into the gorilla enclosure at the zoo and were probably all aware of the fate which the gorilla in the enclosure faced.

As much as I believe that the gorilla had no intentions of hurting the young boy, I can’t help but finding myself agreeing with the zoo staff’s decision to shoot the animal.

Regardless of the situation, I think the staff made the right decision – as much as I hate to admit that I support the killing of an endangered animal. This event has really challenged my idea of animal rights and when it’s appropriate to kill a creature and when it isn’t.

I’ve seen countless posts on Facebook and Twitter from people who oppose the staff’s decision to kill the gorilla.

This Morning even dedicated a half hour slot to discuss the issue and, unsurprisingly, there was a heated debate over the fate of the animal.

The main argument opposing killing the beast was the idea that it was in fact acting in a protective manner towards the youngster and posed no harm to the boy.

However, upon watching the footage, I can’t help but take the opinion that, even if the gorilla was protecting the boy, the manner in which it was doing it was too rough and not something which a five year old could handle.

Therefore, I believe the safest and most rational thing for the zookeepers to do was to remove all danger from the situation.

My opinion was challenged by a couple of my friends and even now I feel guilty to say that I agree with the killing.

But what if I was one of those zookeepers who had to make a quick decision? Try putting yourself in their shoes and possibly then, like me, your opinion may slightly change.