Stones, the facilities director at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, was Harambe’s caretaker for 15 years before the gorilla was transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in the hopes of breeding gorillas to raise the population of the critically endangered species.

“He was like one of my sons. He was beautiful and a true character — so mischievous and not aggressive. He would throw water on the female keepers before running back and hiding in the back of his exhibit like ‘Haha, I got you.’ He would take a keeper’s blanket and just run off. Very fun loving and so intelligent,” said the 74-year-old Stones.

“When he was very young, only 20 pounds, we’d take him to this grassy area with glass walls. He would climb the walls and try to escape, but the keepers would, of course, bring him down every time. Harambe was smart, he realized this was a game. If he climbed the wall and they didn’t rush over, he’d give them a look like ‘Come get me.’ Or, he’d clap his hands and fall backwards so they’d catch him,” he said of the 450-pound silverback.