See first picture of barrier that was supposed to stop child getting into gorilla enclosure

This is the first picture of the barrier around the dangerous enclosure which housed Harambe the gorilla - who was shot dead when a child climbed over the fencing.

Three-year-old Isaiah Dickerson slipped away from his mum when her back was turned and fell down into the moat on the other side of the barrier at a zoo in Ohio, US.

He then came face-to-face with the beast, who could be seen holding hands with Isaiah before he was shot dead as a precaution to prevent the child being hurt.

Cincinnati Zoo 's gorilla display has been closed to the public since the weekend - so this is the first time the security precautions around the enclosure have been seen.

It is still not clear how Isiah slipped from his mother's grasp to gain entry into the enclosure - and within Harambe's grasp.

Critics claim Harambe the gorilla was protecting the child before it was shot dead

But at around three foot at most, the metal and wire barrier in the picture appears to be easy for a child to climb, if this is how he got in.

Only a short hedge appears to separate the barrier and the fall into the deep moat - beyond which a gorilla can be seen in the background.

A warning sign in the picture can be seen to read: "BE ALERT! Gorillas are known to throw objects such as clumps of dirt".

The picture is understood to be four years old. The zoo's director Thomas Maynard had earlier insisted the barriers made the enclosure safe.

He had said: "We all need to work to make sure our families are safe. Do you know any four-year-olds? They can climb over anything.

"Any of us could climb over barriers if we choose. As I said, you can lock your car or lock your house, but if someone wants to get in, they can."

Michael Budkie, the spokesman for Stop Animal Exploitation Now, had also said: “If this enclosure had been constructed adequately a child could not have penetrated it.

“This wasn't someone who came in with grappling hooks and ropes. You tell me. If a child can get through the barrier is that a safe barrier?’

The gorilla display is not expected to reopen until Saturday at the earliest while an investigation into how Isaiah gained access is underway.

It had been claimed that his parents - Deonne Dickerson and his girlfriend Michelle Gregg - could be probed over child neglect claims.

The family has suffered a backlash after the zoo was forced to take the extraordinary action of shooting Harambe to protect their child.

One witness claimed Gregg didn't initially realise it was her own son when the alarm was raised.

Kim O'Connor said the boy had earlier told his mother that he "wanted to swim with the gorilla" as they were preparing to leave the display.

She said: "I heard him say 'I wanna go' and the mom was like 'No, you're not!'

"She didn't have him by the hand and at one point he must have been behind her, out of sight.

"I don't think in her wildest imagination she thought he would actually go back and do that."

Harambe could be seen pulling the child in the moat he'd fallen into

Witnesses heard a splash and someone yelled "Oh my God, there's a kid in there!"

It was only when visitors started screaming, Kim says, that Michelle - a nursery school administrator - said: "Oh my God, that's my son!"

Video footage shows the gorilla dragging Isaiah by the ankle through the moat in the enclosure as the screams continued.

The clip also appeared to show Harambe standing guard over the frightened child - and the pair briefly holding hands.

The zoo decided to shoot rather than tranquilise the gorilla as a precaution to prevent it attacking the boy.