May 27, 2016 — In Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, 400-pound western lowland gorilla Harambe celebrated his 17th birthday.
May 28, 2016 — A 4-year-old boy, intrigued by the zoo's Gorilla World exhibit, said that he wanted to jump in to the exhibit below to his mother, who was also watching other young children, as told by witness Kim O'Connor to Cincinnati's WLWT 5 News. His mother repeatedly told him variations of 'no.' He crawled through a public barrier that encloses the exhibit and fell 10-12 feet into its moat. The nearby gorillas were recalled from the enclosure by zookeepers immediately. The two female gorillas obliged, but Harambe stayed in the moat and grabbed the child. According to witness Brittany Nicely, who spoke to the Cincinnati Enquirer, chaos ensued. "Everybody started screaming and going crazy," she said.
In the video that has seen most corners of the media this weekend, the gorilla is shown to have dragged the boy in a few instances, but never attacked him. A witness even said that the gorilla was protecting him. Not willing to risk the boy's life, the staff was forced to kill Harambe. Tranquilizing him was not an option, as it would have taken multiple minutes to affect the animal.
Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered. Under captivity, Harambe would have successfully bred.
This incident has been met with widespread sadness and anger, with responses ranging from those who oppose zoos to the majority who feel that the child's mother was negligent and responsible for this incident.
These are some of the top comments below the Cincinnati Zoo's statement concerning the incident on Facebook:
People want #JusticeforHarambe, and are actively seeking the prosecution of the boy's parents. A petition to hold them responsible has over 70,000 signatures as of May 30. A petition to state legislators proposes a law that would result in legal consequences for visitors whose negligent actions caused harm or death to an endangered animal in captivity.
Here is a video of Harambe when he entered the zoo for the first time last year:
