The Silverback Gorilla

The shooting of a silverback gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo made headlines around the world.  As a resident of Cincinnati, I’ve enjoyed the zoo on several occasions and am deeply saddened by the loss of this magnificent animal.  But zoo officials did the right thing with a nearly impossible situation.  These animals are unpredictable and can kill a small child in seconds.  While people are right to feel saddened by the death of the gorilla, the small child’s life should have—and did—take priority.  When I saw images of the vigils, flowers and stuffed animals in memory of this animal, I wondered aloud whether or not these compassionate people felt the same grief for the daily deaths of three-thousand babies by abortion.  Human life is the ultimate life to protect.