On Saturday, May 28, a four-year-old boy slipped his way into Harambe the gorilla's enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Harambe, the 400-pound endangered Silverback gorilla, just celebrated his 17th birthday the day before he was shot and killed to save the boy in his enclosure.
Harambe's caretaker, who raised him since birth, says gorillas are normally "gentle giants," and he is heartbroken after his death.
Harambe's death is both deeply saddening and a huge loss for humanity. Silverback gorillas are endangered, and zookeepers hoped Harambe would father more young in his time at the zoo. In light of the tragedy, there are a few things Harambe can remind us all, even in his loss.
Animals are precious, yet wild.
Harambe’s caretaker described him as “sweet, beautiful, and intelligent.” Even though Harambe showed no signs of harming the child, he was still unpredictable and a lot could have gone wrong. Although the four-year-old was not yet in extreme danger, he may have been at some point, and officials at the zoo decided the safest solution was to shoot Harambe.
We should not teach children to fear animals, but to respect them from a distance. Despite knowing Harambe’s gentle nature, he still deserved a respected amount of space from humans and their activity. It is safe to say Harambe had never been that close to a four-year-old boy before, and we will never know quite what he thought of the child. Harambe may have simply been excited, curious, or even trying to protect the boy in his mind, but even animals in captivity are wild by nature and unpredictable.
Everyone who appreciates animals in captivity should understand their innocence and also their unpredictability. Apes are magnificent, intelligent and insightful creatures that are wild. They still have instincts and their nature has their survival in mind. Animals in captivity deserve only healthy and approved interaction with humans, such as caretakers or people they are comfortable with.
They cannot speak for themselves.
We will never know just what Harambe was thinking when a human child, something completely knew to him, entered his enclosure. Animals cannot speak for themselves in the way humans can. Harambe could not defend himself by saying what he was thinking in the moment, or his intentions with the four-year-old.
Animals are precious and innocent because they cannot fully communicate for themselves. We have to be the voice for them because they can’t be. We have to teach our children that animals deserve respect and that they cannot speak their thoughts aloud.
We should do all we can for them.
Silverback gorillas are an endangered species and the loss of Harambe is a loss for humanity. Endangered species, and all animals, deserve our help and protection. We should do all we can because animals are precious, wild, and cannot speak for themselves.
We should teach our children to respect wild animals and even animals in captivity. They deserve to be looked at from a distance and allowed to live a life they deserve in safety. Endangered animals deserve protection from illegal hunting, and allowed to live life without being bothered or taunted by humans.
The sad loss of Harambe’s life should be an eye-opener, as well as a reminder, that animals deserve respect and space because they are precious, wild, and deserve to live their lives with the help of protection from humans.
