The tragic event involving Harambe, the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, at the Cincinnati Zoo sparked a global conversation about zoo safety, animal behavior, and human responsibility.

On May 28, 2016, a young boy climbed into the gorilla’s enclosure, leading to a series of events that ended in Harambe’s death. Experts across various fields have since weighed in on what happened that day and the implications it has for both animal conservation and human interaction with wildlife.

Primatologists have analyzed the footage of Harambe’s interactions with the child, noting that gorillas often show curiosity and protective behavior towards young ones, whether gorilla or human. Some believe Harambe’s actions were misinterpreted as aggressive when they may have been an attempt to protect the child. This incident has led to discussions on how zoos can better design enclosures to prevent such occurrences and whether the use of tranquilizers over lethal force was a viable option.