Gorilla enclosure at Ohio's Cincinnati Zoo reopens with heightened security measure

The gorilla enclosure at Ohio's Cincinnati Zoo has reopened and the exhibit's public barrier is now 6 inches higher than before with a solid wood beam frame and knotted rope netting.

The heightened security measure is a response to last week's scare, when a 3-year-old boy slipped underneath the barrier, pushed through brush and tumbled 10 feet into the enclosure occupied by a 450-pound gorilla named Harambe, which was shot to death by zoo employees after it grabbed the conscious boy and dragged him into the corner of the place.

The incident sparked wide discussions as Harambe's shooting went viral on Facebook, with many criticizing the zoo for flawed protection as well as its merciless decision to kill the animal.

"In recent decades, zoos have begun to redesign enclosures, removing all obvious caging in the attempt to create a seamless view of the animals in a more natural-looking habitat," former Knoxville zookeeper Amanda O'Donoughue said.

Though the fence at the zoo's Gorilla World had never been breached since its opening in 1978, the upgraded barrier marks a step forward for zoo staff to ensure that exhibits are comfortable for animals and stimulating and safe to people, experts and officials say.

"While even one incident is too many, you can say it was pretty good going that (Cincinnati) had no incidents for 38 years," zoo design consultant Michael Graetz said.

"Since they found room for improvement, you could ask why they didn't (upgrade the barrier) before," he said. "It is just that it often takes a failure to reveal such flaws." Endi