Alesia Buttrey, of Cincinnati, holds a sign with a picture of the gorilla Harambe during a vigil in his honor outside the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Monday, May 30, 2016, in Cincinnati. Harambe was killed Saturday at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 4-year-old boy slipped into an exhibit and a special zoo response team concluded his life was in danger. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
May 30, 2016 - 9:46 AM
CINCINNATI - The Latest on the killing of gorilla after a child fell into a Cincinnati Zoo enclosure (all times local):
12:40 p.m.
Animal rights activists have gathered at the Cincinnati Zoo for a vigil in remembrance of a gorilla who was fatally shot to protect a 4-year-old boy who had fallen into its exhibit.
Dozens of people were outside the zoo Monday afternoon. They held signs with messages such as "Rest in Peace Harambe."
A 4-year-old boy slipped through a barricade at the gorilla exhibit on Saturday and fell into a small moat. A zoo special response team feared the boy's life was in danger, so they shot and killed the gorilla, named Harambe.
Vigil organizer Anthony Seta (SAY'-tuh) of Cincinnati calls the 17-year-old western lowland gorilla's death "a senseless tragedy." But he says the purpose of the vigil isn't to point fingers but to pay tribute to Harambe.
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10:30 a.m.
Animal rights activists plan a Memorial Day vigil for the gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 4-year-old boy slipped into an exhibit and a special zoo response team concluded his life was in danger.
Anthony Seta (SAY'-tuh) calls the 17-year-old endangered lowland gorilla's death "a senseless tragedy" and says the Monday afternoon gathering is meant as a memorial to Harambe (huh-RAHM'-bay).
There has been a strong outpouring on social media of people upset the gorilla was killed Saturday. A Facebook page called "Justice for Harambe" created Saturday night has drawn wide attention.
Seta says Monday's memorial is meant as a tribute, not to point fingers at the zoo or the boy's parents. The boy hasn't been identified and his family says he is doing fine at home.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016