'In an agitated situation, it may take quite a while for the tranquilizer to take effect,' he said. He said though Harambe didn't attack the child, the animal's size and strength posed a great danger. Maynard said the zoo's response team shot and killed Harambe out of fear for the child's life. 'We've never had a situation like this at the Cincinnati Zoo where a dangerous animal needed to be dispatched in an emergency situation.' Why was Harambe killed? 'The choice was made to put down, or shoot, Harambe, so he's gone,' Maynard added. The child was with the gorilla for about 10 minutes before the zoo's Dangerous Animal Response Team deemed the situation 'life-threatening,' Maynard told The Enquirer in 2021. Harambe grabbed the boy and dragged him around. The gorilla was shot and killed after a 3-year-old boy fell into Gorilla World at the Cincinnati Zoo.Īccording to Zoo President Thane Maynard, the child crawled through a barrier and fell approximately 10 to 12 feet into the moat surrounding the habitat.Ī look back: Harambe's strange, surprising second life