FINANCIAL DISTRICT, Manhattan — A statue of Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla whose death sparked international outcry, went face-to-face with the Charging Bull statue in Manhattan Monday.
The seven-foot statue of the silverback gorilla appeared opposite of the Charging Bull in Bowling Green Park.
In addition to the Harambe statue, 10,000 bananas surrounded the iconic bull statue to illustrate how “bananas” Wall Street has become and show the disparity in wealth between the 1% and everyone else.
The bananas will be distributed to local food shelves across the New York area.
The Sapien.Network founders commissioned the seven-foot statue of the gorilla, who gained media attention in 2016.
Harambe was shot and killed after a 3-year-old boy climbed into the gorilla’s exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
The rare gorilla then grabbed the boy and carried him around the exhibit. Harambe was later shot by zookeepers in fear of the boy’s safety.
The incident sparked criticism over how the zoo handled the situation and sparked debate over primates in captivity, with “Justice for Harambe” trending on social media.
Sapien.Network believed the bronze statue of Harambe, contrasted with the bronze Charging Bull, represents millions of people who struggle under a system that enriches only the wealthy.
