Harambe
Captive gorilla (1999–2016)
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Key Takeaways
- Harambe ( hə- RAHM -bay ; May 27, 1999 – May 28, 2016) was a western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo.
- Fearing for the boy's life, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe.
- 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.
- History Early life and upbringing Harambe was born at Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, on May 27, 1999.
- He came up with the name after listening to the 1988 song "Harambe (Working Together for Freedom)" by Rita Marley, widow of Bob Marley.
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 chlorine tablets 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.
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