Beloved Gorilla Harambe Killed
June 1, 2016
Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, was killed in an unfortunate incident at the Cincinnati Zoo on May 28, 2016.
Credit: © Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Animal lovers were shocked on Saturday, May 28, when workers at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio shot and killed a beloved western lowland gorilla. The incident began when a young boy slipped through a small opening and fell into the gorilla enclosure. The splashing of the boy in the enclosure’s moat attracted the attention of the 17-year-old silverback Harambe. Silverbacks are mature, dominant male gorillas, known for the gray fur on their back and shoulders. The western lowland gorilla is an endangered animal.
The crowd looked on helplessly as the over 400-pound (180-kilogram) gorilla roughly handled the boy, dragging him around the enclosure and even knocking him into a wall. After removing the crowd and evacuating Harambe’s penmates, zookeepers made the difficult decision to shoot the animal. They feared that subduing Harambe with a tranquilizer dart might take too long, exposing the child to further danger.
Many animal lovers were outraged by the incident and by the zoo’s decision to kill the gorilla. Some noted that in video of the incident, Harambe appeared to be protecting the child. But several primatologists (scientists who study apes, monkeys, and other similar animals) observed that although male gorillas are not inherently aggressive, the gorilla’s strength and its agitated state could have presented a mortal danger to the child. The child was treated for injuries and released.
