“The world hasn’t been the same since”: On the seventh anniversary of his death after a toddler fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, tributes are pouring in for slain gorilla Harambe
- Seven years later, people on social media were still remembering the 400-pound Harambe on the anniversary of his death
- He was killed when an infant entered his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo
Numerous tributes have been paid to the slain gorilla Harambe on the seventh anniversary of his death – after he was killed when an infant fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.
A four-year-old boy fell into the enclosure just minutes before the 400-pound animal was fatally shot. At the time, authorities said the boy crawled past the railing and fell ten feet into the gorilla’s habitat, where he spent more than 10 minutes.
The global attention that followed Harambe’s death sparked thousands of memes and parody videos, making the monkey a pop culture phenomenon.
And seven years later, people on social media were still remembering the animal on the anniversary of his death.
The Gwinnett Stripers, a minor league Triple-A offshoot of the Atlanta Braves, wrote online, “The Gwinnett Stripers would like to take a moment to remember the life of a kind soul.” Harambe featured on that day tragically died seven years ago. #Never Forget #Harambe.’
A four-year-old boy fell into the enclosure just minutes before the 400-pound Harambe was fatally shot. At the time, authorities said the boy crawled past the railing and fell ten feet into the gorilla’s habitat, where he spent more than 10 minutes
Another posted a picture of the legendary gorilla with the caption, ‘Seven years ago today we lost a real gorilla.’ Fly high.’
A third added: “On this day in 2016, the gorilla Harambe tragically passed away. ‘RIP to an American Hero.’
Another person who remembered the beast said, “The world hasn’t been the same since, tear down Harambe.”
‘Gone, but not forgotten. “We miss you Harambe,” one person wrote under a video of the moment the child entered its 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.
However, a third gorilla, Harambe, stayed in the yard with the child.
The global attention that followed Harambe’s death sparked 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.
Back in 2016, Director Thane Maynard said that the zoo’s Dangerous Animals Emergency Response Team, which deals with such incidents, decided the boy was in a “life-threatening situation” and that they needed to euthanize the gorilla.
“They made a difficult decision and they made the right decision because they saved the little boy’s life,” Maynard said.
“It could have been very bad.” Maynard said the gorilla didn’t appear to attack the child, but said it was an “extremely strong” animal in an agitated situation.
Harambe dragged the four-year-old out of the moat before fatally shooting him with a rifle while the boy was still between the animal’s legs.
Since then, his death has been remembered by thousands around the world, which has grown into a quasi-social movement in its own right.