Man Who Named Harambe Shares Video Of The Gorilla As A One-Year-Old

Back in 1999, Dan Van Coppenolle won a contest to name a baby gorilla. That gorilla was Harambe, the silverback tragically shot and killed after a four-year-old child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo on May 29.

In a video Dan Van Coppenolle recently shared to Facebook, you can see a young Harambe clinging to a zookeeper along with two other baby gorillas while kids cheer in the background. The scene is both heartwarming and heartbreaking given the unfortunate context.

The video was originally shot in 2000 and has gained thousands of views since resurfacing on the Internet. Along with the video, Van Coppenolle explained the story behind Harambe's name in a piece for CNN, saying,

It was a live performance recording from a Bob Marley Tribute concert in Central Park. Halfway through the song, Marley explained what Harambe means. It's a Swahili name meaning working together, pulling together, helping each other, caring, and sharing.

You can watch the heartwarming video of baby Harambe above.

Citations: Man who named Harambe the gorilla shares heartwarming video of the silverback when he was just a baby (Daily Mail)