Police to investigate circumstances around zoo gorilla shooting

The zoo says it had no choice but to kill the 17-year-old endangered western lowland gorilla after a four-year-old boy fell into his enclosure, on Saturday, and has defended its safety measures around the enclosure. On Monday, the zoo insisted that tranquilisers would not have worked in time to save the boy.

Hamilton county prosecutor Joseph Deters said once the police inquiry had finished "they will confer with our office on possible criminal charges."

Animal activists have accused the zoo of negligence.

Stop Animal Exploitation Now, a Cincinnati-based animal rights group, said it had filed a federal complaint against the zoo with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the BBC reports.

People have also taken to social media to heavily critcise the parents of the boy.

Cincinnati Police said in a statement that their review of the incident "is only regarding the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident and not related to the operation or safety of the Cincinnati Zoo."

The case report provided by police states that witnesses said the gorilla at first appeared to be protecting the boy, but then grew agitated due to screaming onlookers. It then began to drag him.

Zookeepers shot Harambe soon after.