Harambe (, hə-RAHM-bay; May 27, 1999 – May 28, 2016) was a western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo. On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy visiting the zoo climbed under a fence into an outdoor gorilla enclosure where he was grabbed and violently dragged and thrown by Harambe. Fearing for the boy's life, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to use lethal force. Several primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals near humans and the need for better standards of care. Harambe became the subject of Internet memes, a statue, songs, and other tributes and recognitions.
History
Early life and upbringing Harambe was born at Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, on May 27, 1999. He was named by Dan Van Coppenolle, a local area counselor who won a naming contest sponsored by the zoo. He came up with the name after listening to the 1988 song "Harambe (Working Together for Freedom)" by Rita Marley, widow of Bob Marley. Harambee is a Swahili term for communal labor. On January 6, 2002, when Harambe was two years old, his mother, Kayla, his 11-month-old brother, Makoko, and his two-year-old half-sister, Uzuri, died of chlorine gas poisoning after a container of chlorine solution left too close to a space heater released gas into the gorilla enclosure. Harambe was also possibly injured in the accident. On September 18, 2014, Harambe was transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, to learn adult gorilla behavior and join a new social group.
Death On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy visiting the Cincinnati Zoo fell into the moat at the Gorilla World habitat. Witnesses said they heard the child say he wanted to go into the gorilla enclosure. The boy then climbed a 3-foot-tall (0.9 m) fence, crawled through 4 feet (1.2 m) of bushes, and then fell 15 feet (4.6 m) into a moat of shallow water. Zoo officials immediately signaled for the three gorillas in the habitat to return inside, and two females did so. However, the third gorilla, the inquisitive 450-pound (200 kg) male silverback Harambe, climbed down into the moat to investigate the child splashing in the water. Over the next 10 minutes, Harambe became increasingly "agitated and disoriented" by the screams of onlookers. He carried the child through the water, occasionally propping him up when he sat, or pushing him down when he stood. Harambe exhibited "strutting" behavior—walking around with legs and arms stiffly extended to appear bigger—a bluffing move with inherent danger should Harambe throw or drag the boy around too roughly. Harambe then carried the boy up a ladder out of the moat onto dry land. Afraid for the boy's welfare, zoo officials decided to kill Harambe, doing so with a single rifle shot to the head. Cincinnati firefighters said the boy was between Harambe's legs when the shot was fired. Harambe was killed one day after his 17th birthday. The boy was given a trauma assessment and transported to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; his injuries were non-life-threatening.
Reactions
Crowd The crowd of onlookers reacted to the situation largely by screaming. Experts assessed that this likely agitated Harambe and motivated him to drag the child away from the perceived threat of the screaming crowd. An onlooker told the screamers to stop, and noted afterward to the Detroit Free Press that "when we got the crowd to stop and be quiet [Harambe] sat still longer, but the minute the volume went up and people really started yelling, the more he felt like he had to get that boy away". An editorial in Outside blamed the screamers for Harambe's death.
Popular reception The incident was recorded in a dramatic video by an anonymous bystander and uploaded to YouTube, where it went viral, sparking global publicity and controversy. Some observers said that it was unclear whether Harambe was likely to harm the child. Others called for the boy's parents or the zoo to be held accountable for the gorilla's death. Zoo director Thane Maynard stated, "The child was being dragged around ... His head was banging on concrete. This was not a gentle thing. The child was at risk." Police investigated possible criminal charges against the parents while the parents defended the zoo's actions. The boy's mother also became the target of online shaming. On June 6, 2016, Ohio prosecutor Joe Deters said that the mother would not face any charges of wrongdoing. The zoo was investigated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which sets the standards for zoos, and the USDA. Several vigils took place to honor Harambe's death. A candlelight vigil was held at Hyde Park, Cincinnati. Animal rights activist Anthony Seta spoke at a vigil at Cincinnati Zoo, saying: "I'm not here to decide what was right and what was wrong; the fact is that a gorilla who just celebrated his birthday has been killed." The shooting was criticized by celebrities, including Ricky Gervais, Brian May, and Piers Morgan. Donald Trump defended the actions of the zoo during his 2016 presidential campaign, stating the zoo employees "probably had no choice", although he said "it was almost like a mother holding a baby".
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