Can you ever trust a gorilla with a child?

The killing of a gorilla at a zoo in the US city of Cincinnati after a four-year-old boy fell into its enclosure has triggered outrage on social media.

Some argue that the gorilla may not have brought harm to the child and point to a similar incident in 1986 where a silverback gorilla in a zoo on Jersey apparently stood guard over a child to protect him from danger.

Kirsten Pullen, CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and an expert on gorilla behaviour, discussed the two cases with Today presenter Mishal Husain.

(Image: Child looking at zoo gorilla. Credit: Getty images.)