Social media users have largely come out against the fatal shooting of a gorilla to save a 3-year-old who fell into the animal鈥檚 enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.

The zoo has said its emergency response team was justified in the fatal shooting of Harambe, a 17-year-old male western lowland gorilla. The animal was seen dragging the boy through a shallow moat in its enclosure after the boy fell in.

However, critics point out that video of the incident appears to show the gorilla behaving in a protective manner toward the child. The gorilla appears to take the boy by the hand on occasion, and seems to protectively pull the child in close at one point.

鈥淲e stand by our decision,鈥� zoo director Thane Maynard said on Monday, in response to the shooting.

But many have accused the zoo of acting too hastily, and of using lethal force when a tranquillizer dart might have solved the problem. Others paid tribute to the gorilla under the hashtag #RIPHarambe, claiming that the gorilla took better care of the child than his mother did during the incident.

But while many decried the death of the gorilla, others said they were just happy to know the child escaped the ordeal alive.