New footage has emerged of the incident where a little boy fell into a gorilla enclosure which seems to suggest that the animal was protecting the child.
Animal rights groups and eye-witnesses have been insisting that the gorilla (known as Harambe) was showing no aggression towards the child, and therefore deadly force was unnecessary.
The following video gives a much clearer insight into what happened. Some are even saying that at certain points in the video, it looks as though the pair are 'holding hands' and the only reason Harambe dragged the child across the water was because he was spooked by the screams of onlookers.
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Take a look for yourself...
The 17-year-old gorilla was fatally shot by zoo staff who decided that it was the safest and best course of action to protect the child.
According to the Mirror, eyewitness Brittany Nicely wrote on Facebook: "R.I.P Harambe so so sad.
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"Witnessing this situation and hearing them shoot him has been one of the most horrific things I have ever been a part of.
"My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the staff at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and the people who witnessed it.
"Also sending prayers for a speedy recovery of the little boy!"
She seemingly backed up the theory that Harambe was not being aggressive. She added: "I tried to prevent it.
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"I tried to grab him and I just couldn't get to him fast enough.
"What the first responders saw, I'm just not sure... They said he was violently throwing the child around, which seems crazy to me.
"They have a picture of the boy sitting in front of the gorilla moments before they shot him."
The little boy's mother, Michelle Gregg, also posted on Facebook thanking the Zoo staff for their quick actions as well as God for 'protecting her child': "I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers today. What started off as a wonderful day turned into a scary one.
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"For those of you that have seen the news or been on social media that was my son that fell in the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. God protected my child until the authorities were able to get to him.
"My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes... no broken bones or internal injuries. As a society we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child and if anyone knows me I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen but I am thankful that the right people were in the right place today."
The family had also released a statement on Sunday saying: "We are so thankful to the Lord that our child is safe. He is home and doing just fine. We extend our heartfelt thanks for the quick action by the Cincinnati Zoo staff.
"We know that this was a very difficult decision for them, and that they are grieving the loss of their gorilla. We hope that you will respect our privacy at this time."
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What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by Mel Ramsay
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Gorilla