The White House drew attention online this week after posting a tribute marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Harambe, the gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-year-old boy entered the animal’s enclosure in 2016.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the White House described Harambe as “a true patriot” and reflected on the enduring fascination with the western lowland silverback gorilla.
“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,” the post said.
The message, posted on what would have been Harambe’s 27th birthday, added: “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.”
Harambe was shot and killed on May 28, 2016, after a 3-year-old boy climbed through barriers at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and fell about 15 feet into the gorilla enclosure.
Video from the incident showed Harambe dragging and moving the child through the water inside the enclosure. Zoo officials ultimately decided to shoot the gorilla to protect the boy, who suffered minor injuries.
The incident quickly became a global viral sensation, sparking widespread debate over zoo safety, parenting, and animal rights. Harambe also became a lasting internet meme, inspiring online tributes, jokes, music, and social media campaigns.
Former Hamilton County prosecutor and current Ohio Supreme Court Justice Joe Deters said the public reaction surrounding the case was unlike anything he had experienced.
“Viral mix of people. Wanted somebody to pay for this,” Deters said, WCPO 9 in Cincinnati reported.
Deters said the decision not to pursue criminal charges against the boy’s mother was straightforward.
“It wasn’t even close to being negligent in my mind,” Deters said.
“Harambe was a beautiful animal, but this is a 3-year-old kid,” he added.
Deters also said the case generated international attention, including letters sent from Europe and South America.
“We’ve had much worse cases, believe me. We’ve had serial killers. We’ve had tons of other cases, but in terms of the effect of social media in a particular case, this took the prize by a long shot,” Deters said.
Harambe was born in captivity in Brownsville, Texas, in 1999.
Shortly after the incident in 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump commented publicly on the shooting, saying it was “so beautiful to watch” the interaction between the gorilla and the child.
“It was almost like a mother holding a baby … looked so beautiful and calm, and there were moments where [it] looked pretty dangerous,” Trump said at the time, The Guardian reported.
“I don’t think they had a choice,” he added of zoo officials. “You have a child, a young child is at stake, and you know it’s too bad there wasn’t another way.”
