Of Apes and Men

We've all seen the video. We've all heard the story. Over Memorial Day weekend in the Cincinnati Zoo, Harambe the gorilla was shot to death after a child fell into his enclosure. This incident has sparked international outrage. An online petition calling for an investigation into the home situation of the child has several hundred thousand signatures. Pundits ask over and over again: why did the gorilla have to be killed? Why didn't they just tranquilize the gorilla? I have even seen people suggest that the parents of the child should have been shot first.

First the facts. The gorilla could have easily killed the child. That kind of gorilla can weigh up to four hundred pounds. Even unintentionally, Harambe could have broken every bone in that child's body. And tranquilizing the gorilla would have ensured the death of the child. If you don't believe me, look up a video of a large mammal like a lion being tranquilized. It's not instantaneous. The tranquilizer can take up to several minutes to incapacitate an animal of that size. And it makes them mad. Intelligent animals like gorillas know what is going to happen. They react violently. Shooting the gorilla without a doubt saved the life of the child.

But I am not here to talk about the reasons why Harmabe was shot. I think it is much more important to look at the reaction that came from his shooting, because it is very indicative of our culture's attitude towards life.

Where was the gratitude that the child was saved? Where was the rejoicing in the fact that the child got to go home to his parents? Nowhere in sight. Rather, we chose to react with anger at the death of a gorilla, an animal.

What better characterizes our culture's misplaced priorities? We have forgotten the unique value of human life. So-called ethicists like Peter Singer have made us believe that the life of an animal is as valuable if not more valuable than the life of a human being.

Of course the death of Harambe was unfortunate. No one is saying that it is a good thing that the gorilla died. What I am saying is that it is better that the gorilla died rather than the child. A child is worth much more than an ape. And yet in this case, their lives were treated as at best the same.

Human life is sacred. Animal life is not.

And where was this same level of outrage in Chicago? Over that same weekend, dozens were injured and four left dead from shootings in Chicago. A fifteen year old girl was murdered. Where is the anger? Where is the petition? Where is the news coverage? Where are the pundits when human life is lost?

The death of Harambe the gorilla exposes the twisted nature of our culture of disposable life. We are being told that shooting a gorilla to save a child is a far greater injustice than at least four murdered humans in Chicago. These misplaced priorities are not only insane, they are dangerous. It degrades the worth of human life in favor of animal life.

I think that the reaction to the death of Harambe the gorilla shows us that while it is a scientific fact that life begins at conception, abortion remains legal in the United States. Many pro-choice apologists will even admit that abortion takes a life. Their justification is equivocation. The life of that unborn child was simply not as valuable as the interests of the mother or the father. The life of that baby was too inconvenient. The life of that human being did not matter.

But life does matter. That is why we are here. That is why we fight. When it comes down to it, human life is infinitely more valuable than that of an ape, a dog, or any other animal. Remember that. Do not listen to the lies spread on the media, rafter hold fast to the truth. Stand with us for life.