The death of the beloved gorilla Harambe left millions of Americans heartbroken last year, sparking a movement complete with memes and even paraphernalia to honor the late great ape.
Now the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens that was home to Harambe, has adopted a new male gorilla named Mshindi.
The 29-year-old Western Lowland silverback came from the Louisville Zoo to join the Gorilla World habitat in Ohio.
The zoo said he was chosen based on ‘genetics, personalities, and social needs’.
Mshindi is the new gorilla joining the Gorilla World habitat at the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio
The 29-year-old male Western Lowland silverback gorilla comes from the Louisville Zoo
The decision was made after another male gorilla was chosen to lead Mshindi’s family group in Louisville, Kentucky.
Mshindi will be joining two female gorillas currently there, Chewie, 21, and Mara, 22. The zoo reportedly is planning to introduce the animals to each other privately before allowing them all to coexist in the habitat, according to reports.
‘We worked closely with Louisville Zoo’s gorilla staff to learn Mshindi’s trained behaviors for body presentations and health exams to get familiar with his likes and dislikes,’ Ron Evans, Curator of Primates at the zoo, told Fox 19.
This is the first gorilla to join Gorilla World since Harambe was killed in May 2016 when a four-year-old boy passed through a barrier and into his enclosure.
This is the first gorilla to join the Cincinatti Zoo since Harambe (pictured) was killed last year
Harambe was shot and killed by zookeepers after a four-year-old boy snuck into his enclosure in May 2016. Video of the event went viral
Harambe’s death sparked outrage across the country. Many said he was only trying to protect the little boy
The male gorilla was distracted and didn’t retreat to shelter when called off by trainers, officials said.
After the incident, zoo officials said they stood by their decision, adding that Harambe was ‘clearly agitated and clearly disoriented’ and ‘acting erratically’ when the animal response team was called to the situation.
When video of the incident went viral, people were outraged and protested that the animal was protecting the child. Some called for the boy’s parents to be held accountable.
The outage sparked a movement with Harambe hashtags, memes and even clothing.
The Gorilla World habitat is currently undergoing major renovations and is set to be finished this fall.
People’s support for Harambe was very strong and apparent, appearing almost everywhere…even on cars!
Harambe paraphernalia was one of the components of the movement, along with a hashtag and endless memes
The public seemed very emotional over the death of the gorilla, calling it unfair and blaming the parents for not monitoring their child
Oddly enough, people united over a common sadness in mourning the late great ape
To this day, some will get emotional when the name Harambe is spoken…meaning he is a true legend afterall