The death of gorilla Harambe at Cincinnati Zoo sparked shock and outrage among thousands of animal lovers across the world.
The West Lowland gorilla was shot dead after a young boy fell into the ape enclosure at the US animal park.
Some claim the 400lb male primate was trying to shield the child as video emerged of the moments leading up to the shooting.
In the video, Harambe can be seen dragging the child around the enclosure - but then putting its arm around the child and standing him upright in the water.
Animal rights activists and scores of others have
launched protests against the killing by animal control staff at the zoo.
It has sparked the hashtag #JusticForHarambe and even an online petition.
https://twitter.com/behlul_official/status/737326890692792321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/sighcaro/status/737673425372610560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/GodlessUtopia/status/737390871717511168
https://twitter.com/HopeEsser12/status/737361776845725697
But zookeeper Amanda O'Donoughue, who worked as a gorilla handler in her twenties, has explained the hard truth of the matter in a viral Facebook post.
O'Donoughue said while gorillas are considered 'gentle giants' they are still 'Class 1' animals - the most dangerous in the animal kingdom, alongside bears, lions and tigers, due to their sheer strength and size.
"A 400+ pound male in his prime is as strong as roughly 10 adult humans. What can you bench press? OK, now multiply that number by ten," she wrote.
"An adult male silverback gorilla has one job, to protect his group. He does this by bluffing or intimidating anything that he feels threatened by.
"I have watched this video over again, and with the silverback's postering, and tight lips, it's pretty much the stuff of any keeper's nightmares, and I have had MANY while working with them."
She addressed the issue directly raised by thousands online that the animal was trying to 'protect' the boy by grabbing his arms.
The former gorilla handler said that males do this when highly agitated and can often slam and drag such objects around like branches, barrels and weighted balls.
People were asking why Harambe wasn't shot with a tranquilliser dart, to which O'Donoughue responded: "They didn't use Tranquilizers for a few reasons, A. Harambe would've taken too long to become immobilized, and could have really injured the child in the process as the drugs used may not work quickly enough depending on the stress of the situation and the dose
"B. Harambe would've have drowned in the moat if immobilized in the water, and possibly fallen on the boy trapping him and drowning him as well."
