Absolutely Haramble

Absolutely Haramble

In the animal kingdom, zoo captivity is considered especially heinous. In Cincinnati, the innocent Harambe investigated the lost boy and was shot by an elite squad known as the zoo staff. This is his story.

*Law and Order SVU transitional sound*

On May 28, 2016 Harambe, a 17 year old Western Lowland Silverback gorilla was shot dead in his enclosure after a three year old boy climbed into the gorilla’s enclosure, just one day after the 17 year olds birthday. The three year old had climbed a three foot fence, crawled through four feet of bushes and then dropped 15 feet into the enclosure. When the zoo was made aware of the situation, they signalled for Harambe and the two other gorillas to return to their indoor habitat. Little did Harambe know he would never make it inside.

The curious Harambe heard splashing in his pool and decided to investigate. After becoming agitated, due to the screeches of bystanders, Harambe dragged the three year old across the water and into a corner where harambe took a protective stance above the child. The zoo searched for a way to safely get the child out and decided that the only way to do so involved killing Harambe.

So why didn’t the zoo staff use a tranquilizer instead of a gun? This question has become the topic of many heated debates. The Cincinnati Zoo staff claims it was the quickest and safest way to insure the child's safety. What about Harambe’s safety? The child safety was obviously important but so was Harambe’s.