Feds: Cincinnati Zoo Barrier Failed to Meet Standards in Harambe Incident
Source: NBC News
A federal inspection concluded the barrier at a gorilla enclosure at an Ohio zoo was not in compliance with standards when a three-year-old boy slipped underneath and fell into the animal exhibit, sparking a frantic rescue mission that ended in the death of a 17-year-old endangered gorilla.
But just one month before the May 28 incident, the barrier system at the Cincinnati Zoo Gorilla World exhibit was found compliant during an inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture, the zoo said in a statement to NBC News on Thursday.
"In its 38-year history, the barrier system at Gorilla World has always been found compliant during USDA inspections, including one conducted in April of 2016," the statement said.
An inspection report posted on the USDA's website last week, and first reported on by The Associated Press on Thursday, found that the barrier was ineffective and not in compliance with federal standards the day the child was able to slip underneath the barrier, push through brush and trees and fall nearly 15 feet into the enclosure housing several gorillas.
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Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-cincinnati-zoo-barrier-failed-meet-standards-harambe-incident-n685551
NOV 17 2016, 6:40 PM ET
by DANIELLA SILVA
