The passing of Harambe, the Westland silverback gorilla, left many people across the world devastated and confused. On May 28, 2016, a small boy had fallen into a gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. Out of fear for the boy, all silverbacks were removed, except for one named Harambe. After Harambe had gotten closer to the scared boy, he was fatally shot and killed. This situation spiked controversy across the world due to the fact that an endangered species had been put to rest, even though many would agree death was not the solution to the problem.
Our group consisted of Zach McCann (speaker), Patrick McCann (copy editor), Dario Conceicao (rhetorician), and Cole Viveiros (rhetorician). Our group decided to pick the death of Harambe to commemorate because the 9-year anniversary of his passing had recently passed at the time the memorial was written. We also chose this topic because we grew fascinated by the different points of view that people had developed over time. As a group, we wholeheartedly enjoyed completing this project due to the significance the situation has played in animal safety at zoos throughout the world.
In AP Language, our class is learning and discussing rhetorical analysis, which is the process of how authors and speakers use devices, language, and other elements to effectively persuade an audience. These devices include, but are not limited to, didactic, diacope, homily, and many others, which help the reader further understand and feel more connected with the text. The speech my group has developed relates to what we are learning in class because in our commemorative speech, we effectively insert rhetorical elements and devices to effectively persuade the reader to take action, in hopes of preventing this incident from happening in the future.
1. Good morning.
2. This upcoming May marks the 10th anniversary of when Harambe the gorilla was shot and killed here at the Cincinnati Zoo. This was due to an incident involving a three-year-old child climbing a short wall and falling into his enclosure of his own volition. In response, the innocent Harambe was fatally shot by a Cincinnati Zoo crew member to ensure the safety of the child, despite no major harm being done to said child and the option of a tranquilizer being readily available.
3. We, on behalf of Youths Against Interspecies Discrimination, would like to take this moment to reflect on the life of Harambe and the preventability of his death due to inadequate safety measures. This message extends not just to zookeepers and supervisors of the Cincinnati Zoo but also to anyone who works with potentially dangerous animals and anyone else concerned about such matters of nonhuman life and death.
4. Harambe was a Western lowland gorilla who was one of the less than 316,000 left in the world—classifying it as a critically endangered species. At the time of the incident, he had recently matured into a full Silver Back, and was killed a day after his seventeenth birthday. Harambe was also quite a curious creature compared to his companions, which is why he chose to investigate the child when he fell instead of retreating.
5. It is understandable that certain people might value the life of a young child rather than a gorilla. There have been countless deaths of gorillas and other animals who have died due to the lack of safety within zoos. For example, Harambe’s own mother and two of his siblings died in captivity from an accidental chlorine gas poisoning. A zoo is a place which is supposed to value the lives of animals, and especially the lives of endangered species.
6. Experts like Jane Goodall have spoken on this matter, stating in an online post, “Harambe was mostly protective. He showed a combination of protection and confusion.” She later went on to say the zoo had no choice but to shoot him due to the inadequacy of their tranquilizers, another problem that could have been avoided with more adequate equipment that the Cincinnati Zoo did not possess.
7. We do not blame the Cincinnati Zoo specifically for the death of Harambe. We do, however, advocate for the entire industry of zoos, aquariums, reservations, and all other organizations like them to focus more on the importance of life rather than quick efficiency. We think that life is something that should be preserved at all times, human or otherwise, and more safety measures need to be implemented in the wake of Harambe. His death was a tragedy, but it should also be a wake-up call.
8. As the Bible famously says in Mark 12:31: “…Love your neighbor as yourself.” For centuries, humanity has thought that their neighbors were only fellow humans. But in reality, our neighbors consist of all living things surrounding us—the grass below our feet, the birds soaring above our heads, and our closely related primate companions. And it is because of this that those who work with our neighbors must make it their responsibility to ensure their safety and security and prevent any more needless deaths in this field from ever happening again.
9. Thank you all for your valuable time, and have a great rest of your day.
