Sunday, August 28th marked the 3-month anniversary of the death of Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla who was shot and killed when a 3-year-old boy climbed into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Dr. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, released a shocking statement about the now-famous incident in which she insists that legal rights be given to “non-human primates.”
“The killing of Harambe at the Cincinnati Zoo highlights the need to adopt stronger legal protections for the rights of animals,” she said. “Other countries, especially in Europe, have begun to provide legal rights and protected status to primates as living beings. Non-human primates should have the legal right to life freely or, when necessary, in sanctuaries only for medical rehabilitation or ecological assistance for endangered species.”
Most onlookers were more concerned for the 3-year-old, who was grabbed and dragged through the water by the 440 lb. silverback gorilla. Stein’s feelings about this controversial killing are particularly curious considering the fact that she is pro-abortion.
“Harambe was killed by a zoo which raises revenues by selling tickets to see captive animals, including primates. While good emergency staff training might have prevented such a catastrophic outcome, the Green Party believes that captivity for such entertainment is ethically wrong and fundamentally exploitive and should be illegal.”
Dr. Jill Stein is a physician, politician, and environmental-health advocate who ran on the Green Party ticket in 2012. She was elected as party nominee again this year and has chosen human rights activist Ajamu Baraka as her running mate.
Stein has led initiatives to promote healthy communities, to revitalize democracy, to strengthen local green economies, and has helped to win victories in racially-just redistricting, campaign finance reform, green jobs, and the cleanup of cola plants, incinerators, and toxic threats.
I would venture to say that most Americans believe the Green Party’s priorities to be painfully out of line, and Stein currently sits at a solid last place in virtually all four-way polls. Over the past month, she has averaged a measly 3.1 points to Johnson’s 7.8, Trump’s 37.7, and Clinton’s 42.2.