--- description: A gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo was shot dead after it grabbed and dragged around a 4-year-old boy who had fallen into its enclosure. title: Gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo Shot Dead After Boy Falls Into Exhibit image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c29116fb520224b/6988957d0a4a22c2049c9dd4/harambe-gorilla-cincinnati.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A Gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo Was Shot Dead After a Boy Fell Into the Exhibit  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:07 AM CUTPublished: May 29, 2016 2:02 PM CUT  Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo in an undated photo provided by Cincinnati Zoo. Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo in an undated photo provided by Cincinnati Zoo.Cincinnati Zoo/Reuters  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 9:07 AM CUTPublished: May 29, 2016 2:02 PM CUT A gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo [was shot dead Saturday](http://www.knoxnews.com/news/gorilla-killed-after-4-year-old-falls-into-zoo-enclosure-381239291.html "undefined") after it grabbed and dragged around a three-year-old boy who had fallen into its enclosure, [officials said](http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/2016/05/28/media-update-gorilla-world/ "undefined"). The child was treated for serious but non-life threatening injuries after he had crawled through a barrier and fell about 12 feet into the gorilla’s exhibit, where he was “violently” dragged and thrown around, The Cincinnati _Enquirer_ reports. [Cincinnati Zoo](http://cincinnatizoo.org "undefined") President Thane Maynard said its 17-year-old male western lowland gorilla, Harambe, posed a danger to the child because of its 400-pound size and strength. “The choice was made to put down, or shoot, Harambe, so he’s gone,” Maynard said, according to the _Enquirer._ “We’ve never had a situation like this at the Cincinnati Zoo where a dangerous animal needed to be dispatched in an emergency situation.” The boy was with the gorilla for about 10 minutes before zoo officials deemed the situation life-threatening, the newspaper reports. “It’s a sad day all the way around,” Maynard said. “They made a tough choice. They made the right choice because they saved that little boy’s life. It could have been very bad.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4351482/gorilla-cincinnati-zoo-shot-boy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4351482/gorilla-cincinnati-zoo-shot-boy/"},"headline":"A Gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo Was Shot Dead After a Boy Fell Into the Exhibit","datePublished":"2016-05-29T14:02:14.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T09:07:45.000Z","description":"\"They made the right choice because they saved that little boy's life\"","url":"https://time.com/4351482/gorilla-cincinnati-zoo-shot-boy/","keywords":["animals","Ohio"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c29116fb520224b/6988957d0a4a22c2049c9dd4/harambe-gorilla-cincinnati.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c29116fb520224b/6988957d0a4a22c2049c9dd4/harambe-gorilla-cincinnati.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo","caption":"Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo is pictured in this undated handout photo provided by Cincinnati Zoo. 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