Tributes pour in for slain gorilla Harambe on the seventh anniversary of his death
‘The world hasn’t been the same since’: Honors pour in for slain gorilla Harambe on the seventh anniversary of his death after a toddler fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo
- Seven years later, people on social media still remembered 400 pounds of Harambe on the anniversary of his death
- He was killed when a toddler entered his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo
Tributes have poured in for slain gorilla Harambe on the seventh anniversary of his death – after he was killed when a toddler fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.
A four-year-old boy fell into the fence just minutes before the 400-pound animal was fatally shot. At the time, authorities said the boy crawled along the railing and fell 10 feet into the gorilla’s habitat, where he spent more than 10 minutes.
The worldwide attention that followed Harambe’s death spawned thousands of memes and parody videos, making the monkey a pop culture phenomenon.
And seven years later, people on social media still remembered the animal on the anniversary of his death.
The Gwinnett Stripers, a minor league triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, wrote online, “The Gwinnett Stripers would like to take a moment to reflect on the life of a kind soul. Harambe tragically lost his life on this day 7 years ago. #NeverForget #Harambe.’
A four-year-old boy fell into the fence minutes before 400-pound Harambe was fatally shot. At the time, authorities said the boy crawled along the railing and fell 10 feet into the gorilla’s habitat, where he spent more than 10 minutes.
Another posted an image of the iconic gorilla with the caption, “Seven years ago today we lost a real one. Fly high.’
A third added: “On this date in 2016, Harambe the gorilla tragically died. RIP to an American hero.”
Another person who remembered the animal said, “The world hasn’t been the same since, rip Harambe.”
‘Don’t forget. We miss you Harambe,” one person wrote under a video of the child entering his enclosure at the Ohio Zoo.
When the boy fell into the moat, there were three gorillas in the enclosure, but the two female gorillas were immediately called out.
However, a third gorilla, Harambe, stayed with the child in the garden.
The worldwide attention that followed Harambe’s death spawned thousands of memes and parody videos, making the monkey a pop culture phenomenon
Harambe was killed on May 28, 2016
During the chaotic scenes, people can be heard shouting ‘No, no!’ and someone calling 911.
At the time, in 2016, Director Thane Maynard said the zoo’s Dangerous Animal Response Team, which practices for such incidents, decided the boy was in “a life-threatening situation” and they should put the gorilla down.
“They made a tough choice and they made the right choice because they saved that little boy’s life,” Maynard said.
“It could have been really bad.” Maynard said the gorilla didn’t seem to attack the child, but he said it was an “extremely strong” animal in an agitated situation.
Harambe dragged the four-year-old out of the moat before he was fatally shot with a rifle while the boy was still between the animal’s legs.
Since then, his death has been commemorated by thousands around the world and has become a quasi-social movement in its own right.