It was the first time the specialized team has had to put down in animal in the institution’s 143-year history, he said.
The child climbed over a 3-foot-tall railing and walked through an area of bushes about 4 feet deep before falling about 15 feet into a moat of water inside the exhibit.
Zoo staff are evaluating Gorilla World, Maynard said, but he didn't guarantee anything would change at the exhibit. And plans to double the size of Gorilla World are still underway.
“That’s important for our long-term breeding program and gorilla conservation,” Maynard said.
PHOTOS: Gorilla killed after child enters his habitat
Harambe was killed one day after his 17th birthday, meaning he’d not yet reached breeding maturity. The Cincinnati Zoo is a key player in gorilla breeding and conservation, and Maynard said reproductive biologists had collected viable sperm from Harambe to help his endangered species in its genetic diversity.
“It’s not the end of his gene pool,” he said. “In addition, he and his lineage are part of an ongoing breeding program.”
Maynard said the zoo had received messages of support and condolences from around the world, including from other zoo directors and gorilla experts.
A spokesman for Jane Goodall, the famed primatologist, said she had “a private conversation” with Maynard, who said she expressed her sympathy.
MORE: Jack Hanna on Cincinnati Zoo gorilla shooting
The Associated Press and WCPO 9 On Your Side contributed to this report.