Texas Zoo Establishes Slain Gorilla Memorial Fund
The Texas zoo where Harambe the gorilla was born, raised and lived until last year has established a memorial fund in his honor to aid in gorilla conservation efforts.
Brownsville's Gladys Porter Zoo posted on their website, "While the unfortunate set of circumstances surrounding his passing cannot be reversed, his story has brought the desperate plight of his wild counterparts and their habitat in the African north-western Congo Basin into the public eye."
In a previous release, zoo staff shared their grief.
“The loss of Harambe has deeply saddened the staff of the Gladys Porter Zoo. Each of us . . . those who raised him, those who cared for him daily, and those who simply admired him as he grew into a magnificent silverback . . . are dealing with his tragic loss in his or her own way. This unfortunate incident has deeply affected our colleagues in gorilla conservation across the globe, and has especially impacted the team at the Cincinnati Zoo. Our thoughts are with them at this time.”
Two of the zookeepers involved with the gorilla's early life were featured in this local report from the Brownsville area media:
According to the Porter Zoo, Harambe was a Texas native, born on May 27, 1999 and hand-raised by Gladys Porter Zoo staff. On September, 18, 2014, he was sent to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens as part of a Western lowland gorilla Species Survival Plan breeding recommendation. Two female gorillas were in the habitat with him when the incident happened.
Contributions made to The Harambe Fund will be collected by the Gladys Porter Zoo, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. "The funds will be transferred to the Mbeli Bai Study, whose programs conserve Western lowland gorillas through research, national capacity building, local community education programs and habitat and wildlife protection," according to the Zoo's donation page.
More information about the research study: http://www.mbelibaistudy.org/
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