--- description: The Cincinnati Zoo said it is considering changes to its gorilla exhibit after a three-year-old boy got into the enclosure over the weekend title: Cincinnati Zoo Considering Changes to Gorilla Enclosure image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7088e13f9fe25c22/6988958d0a4a2225159c9df6/cincinnati-zoo-director.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&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 # Cincinnati Zoo Considering Changes to Gorilla Enclosure After Boy Got Inside by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2016 2:01 PM CUT  Thane Maynard, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, speaks to reporters two days after a boy tumbled into a moat and officials were forced to kill Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla, in Cincinnati, Oh., on May 30, 2016. Thane Maynard, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, speaks to reporters two days after a boy tumbled into a moat and officials were forced to kill Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla, in Cincinnati, Oh., on May 30, 2016.William Philpott—Reuters by [Daniel White](/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 1, 2016 2:01 PM CUT The Cincinnati Zoo said it is [considering changes](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e5e7e43367dd42e5912c0d3de3fbf6a1/cincinnatis-pioneering-gorilla-exhibit-now-common-zoos "undefined") to its gorilla exhibit after [a three-year-old boy got into the enclosure](http://time.com/4352627/gorilla-cincinnati-zoo-charges/ "undefined") over the weekend, prompting officials to [shoot the beloved gorilla dead](http://time.com/4351886/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-killed-tranquilized/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined"). But Zoo officials also said the exhibit, which has an open viewing area that was among the first of its kind in the world, is safe, [the Associated Press](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e5e7e43367dd42e5912c0d3de3fbf6a1/cincinnatis-pioneering-gorilla-exhibit-now-common-zoos "undefined") reports. “The exhibit is safe, the barrier is safe,” said zoo director Thane Maynard, adding that it is regularly checked by federal zoo inspectors. While a recent such inspection said the exhibit was safe, an earlier report in March warned of a potential danger to the public, the AP reports. Cincinnati police are already [investigating the incident](http://time.com/4352627/gorilla-cincinnati-zoo-charges/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined"). Some have [criticized the child’s parents](http://time.com/4352116/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-harambe-mother/ "undefined"). This incident was the first time, Maynard said, that a visitor entered the exhibit, which opened in 1978 and was heralded as the first “bar-less” outdoor gorilla exhibit. \[[_AP_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e5e7e43367dd42e5912c0d3de3fbf6a1/cincinnatis-pioneering-gorilla-exhibit-now-common-zoos "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4353408/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-harambe-exhibit/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4353408/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-harambe-exhibit/"},"headline":"Cincinnati Zoo Considering Changes to Gorilla Enclosure After Boy Got Inside","datePublished":"2016-06-01T14:01:09.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:57:49.651Z","description":"The death of Harambe after a boy fell into his habitat has prompted outrage","url":"https://time.com/4353408/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-harambe-exhibit/","keywords":["animals","Ohio"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7088e13f9fe25c22/6988958d0a4a2225159c9df6/cincinnati-zoo-director.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel White","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-white/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7088e13f9fe25c22/6988958d0a4a2225159c9df6/cincinnati-zoo-director.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard speaks to reporters after gorilla was shot in Cincinnati, Ohio","caption":"Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard speaks to reporters after gorilla was shot in Cincinnati, Ohio","creditText":"William Philpott—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4353408/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-harambe-exhibit/","name":"Cincinnati Zoo Considering Changes to Gorilla Enclosure After Boy Got Inside"}}]}] ```