Harambe’s Legacy: Neither Animals nor Humans Are Safe at Zoos

In 2016, the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio made international news following the killing of male silverback gorilla, Harambe. As a result of the zoo’s failure to provide adequate barriers, a small child was able to climb though the fencing and fall into Harambe’s enclosure. The terrifying scene was captured on mobile phone footage as the huge adult male ape dragged the little boy around. The screams and shouts of the crowd, fearful for the child’s safety, appeared to exacerbate the situation. Ultimately, Harambe was shot dead by firefighters called to the scene. It was deemed that sedation would take too long to take effect and could put the child at further risk. It remains a subject of debate whether the gorilla would have attacked or seriously harmed the boy, but the risk was deemed too great in the moment.

Harambe’s Story Is All Too Common

While there was widespread relief that the child suffered no permanent injury, Harambe’s death led to a global conversation on the rights and wrongs of animal captivity. In addition, many raised questions around the zoo’s failure to protect both visitors and animals from harm. The child should never have been able to so easily access the living space of a dangerous wild animal and Harambe should not have lost his life due to the zoo’s failure to provide adequate barriers.

Harambe was not the first captive primate to endanger zoo visitors. In 2003, a gorilla scaled a fence at Franklin Park Zoo in Massachusetts, attacking a woman and child before escaping the zoo property. He was recaptured hours later. Since 1996, there have been at least 31 incidents in which people were attacked by primates at zoos. Of the incidents reported, six involved great apes in accredited zoos biting off all or part of one or more fingers. Two people were critically injured, with one requiring extensive surgery. In addition to these injuries, three further victims were injured to the extent that they required stitches. Twenty-three instances of attacks by primates were attacks by biting, with nine children documented as victims. Of all of the attacks, 16 involved at least one zoo employee, suggesting that even those people trained in the care of primates in zoos are at high risk of injury.

Incidents Like This Keep Happening at Zoos, but We Never Seem to Learn from Them

While the death of Harambe shone a spotlight on the well-known dangers of keeping wild animals captive – to both humans and animals – it is easy to wonder if we have learned anything at all from this devastating incident. In 2022, four chimpanzees were shot dead in a zoo in Sweden following an escape after a door was left open and in 2024, a young gorilla at a zoo in Canada was killed by a hydraulic door closing on her due to human error. Earlier in 2024, two zookeepers at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas found themselves trapped in the gorilla enclosure with a silverback due to staff error. Thankfully both keepers escaped unharmed. Also in 2024, a chimpanzee at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland died from injuries sustained in a fight and a second chimp required surgery for their injuries. In zoos, where animals cannot escape conflict in their small living spaces, similar events will occur in the future.

Ultimately, the death of one animal as a result of human error, negligence, or mismanagement, or the injury of zoo visitors or workers by animals held captive for entertainment, is unacceptable. Yet, incidents such as these will continue to occur as long as these majestic – but dangerous – animals are displayed for people’s amusement. Wild animals such as great apes are not supposed to be in close contact with humans, and they will seek to escape the confines of their enclosures when given the chance. The risks associated with great ape captivity cannot be justified. Born Free is calling for great ape captivity to be phased out for good in the interests of animal health and welfare, and human safety.

To learn more about the plight of great apes in zoos, check out Born Free USA’s new report, Our Captive Cousins.

Keep Wildlife in the Wild,

Liz