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The Cincinnati Zoo shot and killed Harambe, a silverback gorilla, after a young boy fell into a shallow moat surrounding his exhibit. The zoo held a press conference explaining their decision. USA TODAY
Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, was killed Saturday after a four-year-old boy crawled through a barrier and fell into the moat in the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The gorilla dragged the boy around before emergency responders shot and killed the gorilla. The boy sustained non-life threatening injuries.(Photo: Jeff McCurry/ Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden)
CINCINNATI —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Zoo personnel gathered early Monday
to mourn Harambe. His keepers shared stories. There were hugs; there were tears.?<span style="color: Red;">*</span>
But there was no burial for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>gorilla shot and killed Saturday<span style="color: Red;">*</span>after a child fell into his exhibit<span style="color: Red;">*</span>at the Cincinnati Zoo. Nor will his remains be cremated and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>his ashes scattered, perhaps, around Gorilla World.
Instead, through science, part<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Harambe may live on in future offspring. And his body, still at the zoo, may help scientists solve genetic<span style="color: Red;">*</span>problems facing his species.
USA TODAY
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“There’s a future," Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden director Thane Maynard said during a press conference Monday afternoon.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"It’s not the end of his gene pool."
After Harambe's death, reproductive biologists from the zoo's Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife<span style="color: Red;">*</span>collected viable sperm from the animal. The center's assisted reproductive programs include research with artificial insemination and frozen sperm.
In Harambe's case, that's significant because,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>at 17, he had not yet reached breeding maturity. Zoo officials did have hopes of breeding him in the future. The zoo participates in the Species Survival Program management group<span style="color: Red;">*</span>for the species, which<span style="color: Red;">*</span>manages 360 gorillas in Association of Zoos and Aquariums facilities. One of its<span style="color: Red;">*</span>goals is keeping the animals genetically diverse so that their populations are healthy and viable into the future. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered in the wild, where their numbers are estimated at fewer than 175,000.
USA TODAY
Vigil held for gorilla who was shot after boy fell in zoo enclosure
The Cincinnati Zoo has a long history of breeding gorillas; Elle, born there last August, is its 50th.
Maynard said a number of scientists working on genetics issues related to gorillas have contacted the zoo about other possible uses for Harambe's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>remains, including storing tissue for future research.
Follow<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Shauna Steigerwald on Twitter: @shaunaincincy
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