56°F
weather icon Mostly Clear
Las Vegas, NV
Nation and World

Federal inspection shows Cincinnati Zoo gorilla enclosure wasn’t in compliance

Harambe, a western lowland gorilla, who was fatally shot Saturday, May 28, 2016, to protect a 3-year-old boy who had entered its exhibit. (Jeff McCurry/The Cincinnatti Enquirer)
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, U.S. May 30, 2016. (William Philpott/Reuters)
2339378
More Stories
Prince William County Police block the street near the house where the FBI made an arrest, in W ...
Man accused of planting pipe bombs before Jan. 6 Capitol attack is charged with explosives offense
A phone in the San Francisco Bay Area received a false alarm about a magnitude 5.9 earthquake w ...
ShakeAlert sends false alarm about magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Nevada, California
FILE - Guitarist, songwriter and record producer Steve Cropper poses Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, i ...
Steve Cropper, guitarist and member of Stax Records’ Booker T and the M.G.’s, dies at 84
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds during their performance during the Aviation Nation at Nellis A ...
Thunderbird pilot ejected during training exercise in California, Air Force says
By DAN SEWELL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 17, 2016 - 8:41 am
 

CINCINNATI — A federal inspection has concluded that the Cincinnati Zoo’s barrier to keep the public and gorillas separate wasn’t in compliance with standards for housing primates the day a 3-year-old boy slipped into the gorilla exhibit.

The federal inspection report viewed by The Associated Press states that the zoo’s dangerous-animal response team properly followed procedures after zoo visitors called 911 on May 28 to report a child in the gorilla enclosure.

A team member concluded that the child was in “life-threatening danger,” and the 17-year-old gorilla named Harambe (huh-RAHM’-bee) was killed.

The zoo quickly improved the barrier following the gorilla’s death. U.S. Agriculture Department spokeswoman Tanya Espinosa says an investigation is continuing. It could lead to fines or other disciplinary action.

A zoo spokeswoman says it plans a statement later Thursday.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Shopping carts are lined up in front of a Costco store on Feb. 25, 2021, in Inglewood, Californ ...
Costco joins companies suing for refunds if Trump’s tariffs fall
Zoe Tillman and Jaewon Kang, Bloomberg News

Costco Wholesale Corp. joined a fast-growing list of businesses suing the Trump administration to ensure eligibility for refunds if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the president’s signature global tariffs policy.

MORE STORIES