Furtastic Series Banner

Guys, your Harambe memes are making the Cincinnati Zoo sad

Will the internet ever stop?
 By 
Sophie Hirsh
 on 
Guys, your Harambe memes are making the Cincinnati Zoo sad
Credit: JOHN SOMMERS II/GETTY IMAGES

Normally it would be nice for people to still be honoring a gorilla three months after his death.

However, most of the Harambe tributes are coming via meme. The internet is still consistently flooded with petitions and tweets (mostly sarcastic) protesting the gorilla's death.

Well, The Cincinnati Zoo's director has had enough. He commented on the Harambe memes this morning, and he is urging people to stop.


You May Also Like

"We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe," Thane Maynard, Cincinnati Zoo director, wrote to the Associated Press. "Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us."

Maynard is no doubt also referring to the comments the zoo's Twitter posts typically receive. For example, their recent tweet about a Zebra was met with endless replies about Harambe:

For some further context, here are some Harambe memes, still going strong three months after his death:

Unfortunately for the zoo employees who are still upset by the Harambe craze, telling meme makers to stop only makes a meme grow stronger.

While Maynard is distressed by the memes and the comments that are being directed at the zoo, other animal rights activists have mixed feelings.

"For the most part, I'm very happy with it. It shows people are remembering what a wonderful being he was," Animal rights activist Anthony Seta told the Associated Press. "The ones that are mocking and making light of the death of this being, I find incredibly offensive."

Ashley Byrne, an associate director at PETA also sees the positivity in the internet's reactions.

"This tragic incident really did start a new conversation," she said to the Associated Press. "Most people who saw the video came away with a great degree of empathy for animals forced to live in captivity."

Maynard encourages people who want to honor Harambe's controversial death to lighten up on the memes and instead donate to the Mbeli Bai Study.

RIP Harambe and RIP to any chance of the Harambe meme ever ending.

Topics Animals Memes

Mashable Image
Sophie Hirsh

Sophie was a Viral Content Intern for the Watercooler channel. More writing and other stuff by Sophie can be found at www.sophiehirsh.com.

Mashable Potato

More from Furtastic

Recommended For You
The internet is worried about Punch the monkey. The zoo says he's OK.
A 7 month-old male macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, spending time with a stuffed orangutan toy

30 years of Pokémon: The memes that made it immortal
Pokemon memes like Surprised Pikachu

The internet is rooting for this abandoned baby monkey and his stuffed animal
a baby Japanese macaque monkey

10 of the weirdest little freaks in Pokémon history
Garbodor, Chandelure, and Klefki emerging out of a Pokeball

NVIDIA CEO defends DLSS 5 as gamers label it an 'AI slop filter'
A side-by-side comparison of NVIDIA DLSS 5 applied to 'Resident Evil Requium.'

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.

NYT Strands hints, answers for April 3, 2026
A game being played on a smartphone.

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!