No public events are planned at the Cincinnati Zoo marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting of an endangered gorilla.
The zoo's dangerous-animal response team concluded the life of a 3-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla enclosure last May 28 was in danger and killed 17-year-old Harambe (huh-RAHM'-bay). That led to global mourning, criticism and satires that made him a pop culture phenomenon.
The zoo called for an end to the satires about Harambe, which eventually happened, but not before some took the situation too far.
The online messages became so overwhelming to the Cincinnati Zoo, it had to shut down its Twitter account months after Harambe's death. There were also several "Harambe-related" bomb threats called into Cincinnati establishments, including the zoo, in the months following the gorilla's passing.
Zoo officials are looking ahead to an expanded Gorilla World exhibit in June and also are working on the timetable for the public debut of a popular new animal.
Viewers have flocked to its website for updates on Fiona (fee-OH'-nuh), a hippo born prematurely at the zoo in January. Zoo officials say the strong positive response to Fiona has helped a healing process after Harambe's death.
