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A new documentary on the Harambe tragedy is coming on September 24th. Harambe was shot and killed rather than tranquilized after a three-year-old boy fell into the Cincinnati Zoo’s enclosure seven years ago. The director in the video above hopes the film can spark new conversations about solutions.
It’s a full-length documentary that aims to explore the modern perspective of animal captivity and present some new information on the death of the famous Gorilla. The film will involve the person who named the gorilla Harambe, the gorilla’s photographer, and interviews with animal rights activists. This article will explore some of the reasons why Harambe’s death has been covered on a large scope and some facts related to the gorilla turned internet legend.
The Film Will Be Shown On World Gorilla Day
The legendary Harambe on the internet. Photo Credits: Cincinnati Zoo’s Twitter Page
The Harambe Documentary will premier on World Gorilla Day September 24th. It’s an annual celebration and appreciation of the Gorilla species. The initiative behind it aims to entice conversations and actions towards preserving the gorilla population. Zoos all over the United States are celebrating World Gorilla Day in their own ways. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Garden are making it a two-day occasion with different events and even launching a children’s book after one of their gorillas named Angela.
The Western Lowlife Gorilla Is A Critically Endangered Species
Harambe was a silverback western lowland gorilla. He was born in Brownsville, Texas at the Gladys Porter Zoo on May 27th, 1999.
The World Wildlife Foundation recognizes western lowland gorillas as a critically endangered species. Hence, Harambe was moved to the Cincinnati Zoo. Due to poaching and disease, the gorilla population has declined over sixty percent in the last twenty-five years. The western lowland gorilla is also the most numerous and widespread of the gorilla subspecies. If you’re wondering how you can preserve and save the western lowland gorilla species here are five ways.
- Make your voice heard to lawmakers to raise awareness on protecting the species.
- Recycle cell phones and electronics.
- Using eco-friendly products to help preserve their environment.
- Posting on social media to create better awareness.
- Learning more about the wildlife.
Why Did Harambe Go To Cinci?
The Cincinnati Zoo wanted to use Harambe to breed with other gorillas at their zoo. He was just starting to become an adult and he would’ve been key to helping the lowland gorilla population at the Cincinnati Zoo grow. He arrived at the zoo in April 2015.
Harambe Was Once Voted As A Presidential Candidate
Yes. This is a fact. 2016 was an election year. The presidential candidates were Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but voters have a right to add in their own selections. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Harambe accrued 11,000 ballots in the election. The state of Ohio did not count the Harambe votes in the total voting counts. Harambe had two percent of the total votes in Texas. Another notable candidate drawn into the ballots was Hennessey.
Harambe’s Second Life
The first life Harambe experienced was that of a usual zoo gorilla. His second life is a bit more unusual. A bit strange some might say. Yet, the tragedy resulted in Harambe becoming a social media icon for several years. When the incident happened in 2016, everyone took to Twitter and other social media platforms to discuss the news. #Harambe flooded social media and caught the attention of many senior writers and editors.
Harambe became a loved American hero. He was the number-one meme in 2016. After his death, people re-wrote song lyrics on social media using Harambe references. Some social media users created an inappropriate hashtag that was seen everywhere. It won’t be in this article. But, the more appropriate hashtag #JusticeForHarambe was a strong search result on Google. Therefore, it gave life to many different opposing views regarding how the Cincinnati Zoo handled the Harambe situation.
The memes took a life of their own so they could bring a second life to the famous gorilla. The slacktivism behind the Harambe situation years ago can be questioned today. The Merriam-Webster definition of slacktivism is: “the practice of conspicuously showing support for a cause (as by posting on social media or hanging a flag or sign) without taking any real steps to effect change.”
This is not a political article. However, we probably wouldn’t have this Harambe documentary come about if wasn’t for the social media outrage and meme culture. Something to think about.
Harambe’s Two Homes Felt Bad About The Tragedy
The internet could be a dark place. Internet users trolled the Cincinnati Zoo’s social media pages for months after Harambe’s death to the extent that the Cincinnati Zoo deactivated their social media pages for several months. The Brownsville, Texas zoo stated they felt like they lost a family member due to the unfortunate circumstance. People today still criticize Cincinnati’s decision on how they handled the Harambe situation and have stated that they could’ve handled the issue in different manners.
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