Facing fierce criticism from animal rights activists, the director of the Cincinnati Zoo has stood by the decision to shoot dead a gorilla as he dragged a 4-year-old boy around by the ankle, saying the ape was not simply endangering the child who fell into his enclosure but actually hurting him.

"Looking back, we would make the same decision" to shoot the gorilla, Thayne Maynard, director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, told a news conference.

The 17-year-old male gorilla, named Harambe, had dragged the boy through shallow water and up a rock wall on Saturday, but he did not appear to intentionally harm the child.

Animal lovers mobilized on Monday as outrage mounted over the killing.

More than 200,000 people had signed online petitions on Change.org protesting the shooting of Harambe, with some urging police to hold the child's parents accountable.

The most popular "Justice for Harambe" petition seeks police action and also urges child protective services to investigate the boy's home to guard against "further incidents of negligence.

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