The 2016 killing of Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo, sparked widespread outrage and ongoing questions about whether his death was avoidable. On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy climbed into Harambe’s enclosure, leading to a tense situation where the gorilla grabbed and dragged the child in front of a growing, panicked crowd. Despite public calls to tranquilize Harambe, zoo officials fatally shot him, citing immediate safety concerns.
In a 2023 documentary Harambe, director Erik Crown explained why a tranquilizer wasn’t a viable option. Contrary to depictions in movies, tranquilizers can take 20-25 minutes to take effect, especially in large animals like gorillas, and could have caused Harambe to act unpredictably in that critical window. Crown suggested Harambe might have been attempting to return the child to his family as he carried him to higher ground, but the escalating tension left the zookeepers no choice but to act decisively.
Harambe’s death catapulted him into global fame, with a wave of memes and tributes keeping his legacy alive. In 2021, a statue of Harambe was erected near Wall Street and later moved to Facebook’s California headquarters. His story has sparked ongoing discussions about animal welfare and the ethics of captivity.
The tragedy also reignited debates on the safety of keeping endangered animals in zoos. Crown emphasized that while the incident was heartbreaking, it underscored the risks inherent in keeping such animals in captivity, urging a reexamination of such practices.
