Zoo doesn't see backlash at gate after Harambe's death

Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard knows the death of Harambe the gorilla will hang over the zoo for a while.

In the past few months, an NFL running back has worn Harambe's image on his cleats, a pro baseball player paid tribute to the gorilla on his bat, a Canadian junior hockey team donned Harambe jerseys and Harambe memes have popped up all over social media.

"There's still a lot of Harambe interest," Maynard told Hamilton County Commissioners on Monday.

He said the zoo and its staff are doing the best they can to adapt to the post-Harambe world. Here's what has changed -- and what hasn't -- at the zoo since an emergency response team shot and killed the gorilla in May to protect a 3-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla exhibit.

Accountability: County commissioners, who must approve the zoo's levy before it goes on the ballot, said they were satisfied with the zoo's handling of the incident and its aftermath. But Commissioner Todd Portune asked Maynard to provide commissioners any in-house reports or analysis of the incident that could shed light on what went wrong and how the zoo responded.

"We need to bring closure to the Harambe incident," Portune said. "We've got to put this to rest because our constituents have asked us to."

Maynard said he would comply with the request.

Public safety: Barriers around animal exhibits have been inspected throughout the zoo and changes have been made where necessary, Maynard said.

The new gorilla exhibit barrier is 42 inches high, 6 inches higher than the previous barrier, and includes a mesh fence from top to bottom. The previous barrier lacked such fencing and the child was able to crawl through the opening. He then fell about 15 feet into the exhibit.

Maynard said zoos across the country have spoken to him about the incident and many examined their own barriers after Harambe's death. The barrier at the gorilla exhibit had stood for 38 years without incident, Maynard said, and zoo officials believed it was sufficient.

"It was an adequate barrier, but it wasn't adequate to that test," Maynard said of the incident. "No one expected this to happen."

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Attendance and public relations: Maynard said zoo attendance is comparable to last year, about 1.2 million visitors from January through this weekend. Despite criticism in the wake of Harambe's death, he said, support for the zoo locally has remained strong and there is no evidence of a backlash at the gate.

He said the zoo has been working overtime to defend the zoo's actions and its overall mission to residents and Hamilton County taxpayers, who support the zoo with a levy that costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $11 a year.

Some critics, including animal rights activists, have questioned the need to shoot Harambe and have used the incident to challenge the existence of zoos, arguing they are inhumane and unnecessary. Maynard and zoo officials argue zoos are crucial institutions for education, research and conservation.

"Lots of critics of zoos came out of this," Maynard said. "It puts pressure on us and other zoos to make the case for zoos."

Social media: Harambe's death became a social media sensation, stirring outrage, grief and a wide range of commentary. Maynard, whose Twitter account was hacked not long after the shooting, said he was overwhelmed by the response and the continued interest in Harambe.

Harambe has become a popular meme on social media and #harambe has been connected to comments about politics, sports, the environment, violence and other issues.

"I don't really understand the whole #harambe thing," Maynard said. But he said most of the comments he's heard in recent months suggest the references are positive tributes to the gorilla's life, rather than criticisms of the zoo.

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He heard no criticism Monday from commissioners. All three said the incident was a tragedy, but they also said the zoo handled it correctly.

"You did it right," said Commissioner Dennis Deters. "The measure of an organization is how you deal with adversity."

"We did our job," Maynard said.