Ten years ago today, the world stopped and mourned 'something bigger than a meme.' Harambe, the gorilla, was shot dead after a four-year-old boy climbed through a barrier at the Cincinnati Zoo. Now, the White House has posted a tribute to the beloved animal a decade after his death, honoring him as a 'true patriot.'
White House Tribute
'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 wrote. '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.'
Public Reaction and Controversy
The death of Harambe provoked outrage around the world, with witnesses claiming Harambe was acting protectively over the young boy. Parents of the child who fell into the gorilla's enclosure, Michelle Gregg and Deonne Dickerson, even received death threats after Harambe was killed. Despite the uproar, animal experts said the zoo was right to shoot rather than tranquilize the animal. Two similar instances in 1986 and 1996, when children fell into zoo enclosures containing gorillas, saw the animals act in a protective manner.
Harambe's Legacy
Ten years on, the world mourns an icon. The gorilla remains a pop culture icon, sparking candle vigils as far away from Cincinnati as Hyde Park. The man who raised Harambe from birth, Jerry Stones, said losing him was like 'losing a member of the family.' Stones said at the time: 'I raised him from a baby, he was a sweet, cute little guy. He grew up to be a beautiful male. He was very intelligent. Very, very intelligent. His mind was constantly going. He was such a sharp character.' Still, he admitted that the child who fell into the enclosure was in danger, calling it a 'tragic set of circumstances.' Harambe was born on May 27, 1999, and met his fate on May 28, 2016.
