One day after celebrating his 17th birthday, Harambe was shot dead when a child entered his enclosure, a split-second decision that remains one of the most controversial moments in zoo history 10 years later.
On May 27, the White House shared a post on X, honoring a “true patriot” – the critically endangered western lowland gorilla named Harambe – who would have celebrated his 27th birthday.
“Today, we remember a legend,” the post read. “On this day in history, Harambe would have celebrated another birthday. An icon that became part of internet history, American culture, and an entire generation’s timeline.”
The White House continued, “Tomorrow marks 10 years since we lost him. He became a symbol of loyalty, strength, chaos, unity, and the strange beauty of the internet bringing millions of people together for one cause: never forgetting Harambe.
“Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. And somehow, a decade later, his legacy still lives on. Gone, but never forgotten. Rest easy to a true patriot.”
For many people, the tribute brought back memories of a story that remains difficult to forget.
Child climbs fence of gorilla enclosure
Long before Harambe became a global phenomenon, he was a 17-year-old gorilla living at the Cincinnati Zoo.
Just one day after his birthday, on May 28, 2016, everything changed.
Isaiah Dickerson, only 3 at the time, was with his parents, Michelle and Deonne, when he climbed over the 3-foot barrier and dropped about 13 feet into the gorilla habitat below.
As zoo staff rushed to respond, they called the creatures out of the habitat. Two female gorillas moved away as instructed, but Harambe stayed behind and made his way toward the child, the LA Times reports.
Visitors watched in horror as the 450-pound silverback approached the child, dragging the boy through the moat, carrying him around the enclosure and remaining close to him as crowds gathered around the exhibit.
As the situation unfolded, concern quickly grew. Some people screamed for help while others pulled out their phones and recorded the encounter, unsure how it would end.
“The gorilla was clearly agitated; the gorilla was clearly disoriented,” zoo director Thane Maynard said of Harambe, per the LA Times. “His arms are as big as our legs. They have huge hands, extremely strong. And that was the risk.”
Within minutes, zoo officials made a decision that would follow them for years.
Harambe was shot and killed while the boy survived with minor injuries.
Mother defended parenting
Almost immediately, public opinion split. Some believed Harambe appeared protective of the child, also pointing to the parents as being irresponsible.
Others argued that no one could safely predict the actions of a powerful wild animal in such a stressful and unpredictable situation.
As the debate intensified, criticism extended beyond the zoo itself. The boy’s mother, Michelle Gregg (Dickerson), faced intense scrutiny online after the incident.
“My son is safe and was able to walk away with a concussion and a few scrapes… no broken bones or internal injuries,” Michelle Gregg (Dickerson) wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post, per People. “As a society, we are quick to judge how a parent could take their eyes off of their child, and if anyone knows me, I keep a tight watch on my kids. Accidents happen.”
Why was Harambe Killed?
As the years passed, Harambe’s death evolved from a tragic zoo incident into one of the internet’s most enduring cultural moments. While the gorilla became a symbol for millions of people online, the debate surrounding his final moments never disappeared.
Many animal lovers struggled to understand why Harambe wasn’t just tranquilized.
“Tranquilizers don’t work the way people think of in movies,” said Erik Crown, the director of the 2023 documentary Harambe.
“You don’t fire a tranquilizer dart, and somebody goes down, it actually puts the system into overdrive which then shuts the system down.
“It can take up to 20, 25 minutes to become active, especially inside of a large gorilla,” Crown explained. “That may have agitated Harambe, may have led to a different outcome or a very dangerous outcome for the boy.”
Animals kept in prisons
While many people still wish the situation had ended differently, Crown said he does not believe zoo staff had a realistic non-lethal option available at the time.
“As much as we would have liked to have seen a non-lethal ending to it, I don’t believe the zookeepers necessarily had a choice with the way their program runs, and that is exactly why we feel we should not have endangered animals in captivity anymore,” Crown added of prisoned animals, who should remain in their natural habitat.
What do you think about the way the Cincinnati Zoo handled the Harambe incident? And do you think the boy’s parents should have been charged after their child entered the enclosure? Please let us know your thoughts and then share this story so we can get the conversation going!
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