Memorial to remember Harambe the gorilla

AVONDALE, Ohio (WKRC) - A vigil is scheduled for Monday afternoon to remember the gorilla who was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo on Saturday, May 28.

The zoo's director says it was the only course of action to save a little boy who climbed into the exhibit.

This is just a tough situation no matter how you look at it.

But in the end, zoo officials determined that keeping that little boy safe had to be their top priority, no matter what the cost.

And that cost was the life of 17-year-old gorilla Harambe.

On Saturday afternoon, a four year old boy was somehow able to climb into the gorilla sanctuary at the zoo.

After falling about 15 feet down into a moat, the boy was approached by Harambe, who began tossing and dragging the boy around the exhibit.

The zoo's Dangerous Animal Response Team was quickly called and without much time to hesitate, they made the tough decision to shoot and kill Harambe.

In order to ensure that little boy's safety, he're how one witness described what she saw.

"He literally moved the boy around him just like he had a doll, a child's rag doll," Kim O'Connor said. "His head was scratched. He was dazed. He wasn't crying. He wasn't screaming. He was just sitting there."

READ MORE: Boy's family issues a statement.

The vigil is scheduled for Monday afternoon at 12:15 at the Cincinnati Zoo. The point,.organizers say, is not to protest or cast any kind of blame, but rather to remember Harambe the gorilla..

The boy spent Saturday afternoon at Cincinnati Children's Hospital being treated for his injuries, but he was sent home later that night..

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