Taking your child to the zoo should be a fun adventure for both parents and child but when your child wanders away, the day out can take a nasty turn.

This is what happened when four-year-old Isaiah climbed through a security fence around a gorilla enclosure. The fence had, for 38 years, been sufficient to keep trespassers out of harm’s way from the silverback gorillas at Gorilla World, Cincinatti Zoo, however, it was no match for little Isaiah.

While his horrified parents, zoo visitors and keepers looked on, 17-year-old silverback Harambe leant over the young boy, ignoring commands by his keepers to step back and out of the enclosure. Experts have said that the gorilla was not trying to hurt the child and was merely curious to see what had invaded his sanctuary. As the screams of the crowd increased, it is suggested that Harambe was actually trying to protect the child from the uproar.

For four-year-old Isaiah, the ending is a happy one, even if he may be slightly traumatised in the short term. For Harambe – not so much. The silverback gorilla was euthanised.

As terrifying as the incident may have been for the parents of Isaiah and onlookers, the real tragedy is that such a magnificent beast has been killed for doing what is natural – being curious about something that has entered its domain.

Public places are not playgrounds for parents to let their children run wild in – parents have to take responsibility for their children and a four-year-old should not be allowed to wander off and climb though a fence.

Do you agree? Are parents too lax when it comes to looking after children? Did the zoo keepers take the correct course of action in killing Harambe?