Denverites will gather at the Denver Zoo from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight, June 3, for a "peaceful" candlelight vigil in honor of Harambe, the seventeen-year-old gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo this week after a four-year-old boy slid into his enclosure.
"This gorilla was a prisoner who spent his whole life in captivity, only to be murdered because of an unfortunate accident," the organizers says. "We will commemorate his life with a silent, candlelight vigil and urge all people to see zoos for what they really are: animal prisons. Captivity kills and more animals will continue to die in zoos. The goal of this vigil is to educate the public about the many senseless tragedies that occur daily in zoos across the world.”
The zoo, which has another event scheduled tonight, plans to have people on hand who can answer any questions about Denver's policies and procedures.