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Cincinnati Zoo Has Vigil For Slain Gorilla, Harambe [Video]

By Loretta Polaski
Published on: 11:52 PST, May 30, 2016

Cincinnati zoo officials killed Harambe, the gorilla, Saturday after a 4-year-old boy crawled his way into the gorilla exhibit. Mourners gathered Monday in a vigil with signs, candles, and flowers to demonstrate their grief and anger over the slain gorilla.

On Saturday, spectators watched the boy and the gorilla in a shallow moat, shouting with concern. When Cincinnati Zoo officials realized there was a child in the exhibit, they called the gorillas into their holding area. The females complied but Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, did not.

Witnesses had heard the child saying he wanted to go play with the gorillas in the water. They said that the mother had several young children with her when the 4-year-old slipped away. The child managed to climb a three-foot railing, walked through a four-foot wall of bushes and then fell 15 feet into the gorilla exhibit.

In a cell phone video, the crowd is shouting at the gorilla as Harambe appears to be protecting the boy. The gorilla pushes the boy into a corner behind himself while Harambe stands on all fours looking at the crowd. Tension is high as the crowd shouts and Harambe calmly looks around. Time passes slowly. Suddenly, without provocation, Harambe grabs the boy by a leg and goes running through the shallow water for a few feet before coming to a stop. The child’s mother is heard shouting, “It’s okay! I’m right here!” Harambe then looks around, touches the boy gently a few times and picks up the boy out of the water, using his hand to hold the boy’s arm. The gorilla even appears to be pulling his shorts up. Then again, without warning, Harambe takes off with the boy, dragging him through the shallow water. He stopped just on the edge of camera view. The child is sitting in front of Harambe and then they disappear behind a rock wall. What happens after that is not recorded.

The Associated Press reports that the special zoo response team shot and killed Harambe, the gorilla, 10 minutes after the boy had fallen into the exhibit. Zoo officials say they feared for the boy’s safety. There is no doubt that a silverback can be lethal to a grown man, let alone a small child, but there is a lot of controversy over the lethal means to end the incident. There are strong opinions on both sides.

The family of the boy who crawled into the gorilla exhibit released a statement Sunday night saying the boy was “doing just fine.” The boy had been treated at a hospital and released.

Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard said Monday, “We stand by our decision.” Maynard said that using a tranquilizer on Harambe would have taken too long and could have agitated the gorilla further. Others believe it was a bad decision.

This story is reminiscent of an incident at the Jersey Zoo in 1986. A 5-year-old fell into the gorilla exhibit and lost consciousness. Jambo, the silverback gorilla, cautiously approaches the young child and keeps the other gorillas away. Jambo even strokes the child with his knuckles as if comforting him. When the child starts to recover and move around, Jambo and the other gorillas retreat to their enclosure. Rescuers scale down the wall and retrieve the boy without incident.

https://youtu.be/ak3LBdykY04

Harambe, who has been described as a wonderful creature with a great personality, had just celebrated his 17th birthday on Friday. The news of the death of Harambe has gone global as people share in the grief of his death. There is a lot of outrage towards the mother of the boy on social media. There is now a Facebook page, “Justice for Harambe.” Some feel like she wasn’t properly supervising the boy. She stoked the flames further when she reportedly said, “Accidents happen.” Some feel like she should face some charges for Harambe’s death and have started a petition, according to NBC News. However, a Cincinnati police spokesman said no charges are being considered.

“This is very emotional and people have expressed different feelings,” Maynard said by email. “Not everyone shares the same opinion and that’s OK. But we all share the love for animals.”

Harambe had just been moved to the Cincinnati Zoo two years ago. He spent most of his life in Brownsville, Texas. He was sent to Cincinnati for breeding. Maynard said they saved viable sperm from Harambe and hope to use it. The western lowland gorilla is a critically endangered species, adding to the sadness of the death of Harambe.

A vigil is held outside Gorilla World. Flowers, stuffed animals, and messages are being left in remembrance of Harambe at a statue of a gorilla. Others protest in vigil outside the Cincinnati Zoo for justice for Harambe.

[Photo by John Minchello/AP Images]

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