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Cincinnati Zoo to Reopen Gorilla Exhibit After Safety Improvements

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The entrance to the Cincinnati Zoo's Gorilla World exhibit is closed, two days after a boy tumbled into its moat and officials were forced to kill Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 30, 2016.
The entrance to the Cincinnati Zoo's Gorilla World exhibit is closed, two days after a boy tumbled into its moat and officials were forced to kill Harambe, a Western lowland gorilla, in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 30, 2016.William Philpott—Reuters
By Justin Worland

The Cincinnati Zoo, where a young boy fell into a gorilla enclosure last weekend, will reopen next week after modifying the barrier aimed at keeping visitors safe, zoo officials said Thursday.

Officials have evaluated the enclosure in the time since the incident, which captured national attention, and will reopen the exhibit on June 7. They stressed that the previous barrier had passed inspections and cited the exhibit’s safety record. More than 43 million people had visited the exhibit without incident in the 38 years since it opened, the zoo said.

“Our collective goal is to take steps to assure it doesn’t happen again,” said Kris Vehrs, interim president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “Incidents like this are very rare.”

Cincinnati Police investigated how the child could have slipped into the enclosure, with a focus on the parents of the child.

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com