Tributes 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 enclosure minutes before the 400-pound animal was fatally shot. At the time, authorities said the boy crawled past the railing and fell 10 feet into the gorilla’s habitat, where he spent more than 10 minutes.
The worldwide attention following 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 still remembered the animal on the anniversary of its death.
The Gwinnett Stripers, a triple A minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, wrote online: “The Gwinnett Stripers would like to take a moment to remember 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 in the enclosure minutes before 400-pound Harambe was fatally shot. At the time, authorities said the boy crawled past 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 passed away. RIP to an American hero.’
Another person remembering the animal said, “The world hasn’t been the same since, rip Harambe.”
‘Gone but not forgotten. We miss you Harambe,’ one person wrote under a video of the moment the child entered his enclosure at the Ohio Zoo.
When the boy fell into the moat, three gorillas were in the enclosure but the two female gorillas were immediately called.
However, a third gorilla, Harambe, remained in the yard with the child.
The worldwide attention following 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 are heard shouting “No, no!” and someone call 911.
At the time, in 2016, director Thane Maynard said the zoo’s Dangerous Animal Response Team, which trains for such incidents, decided the boy was in “a life-threatening situation”. and that they had to kill the gorilla.
“They made a tough choice and they made the right choice because they saved this little boy’s life,” Maynard said.
“It could have been very bad.” Maynard said the gorilla did not appear to attack the child, but said he 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 shotgun while the boy was still between the animal’s legs.
Since then, his death has been remembered by thousands around the world, becoming a quasi-social movement in its own right.