Zoo asks public to help name its gorilla and the people want 'Harambe'
In proof people learned nothing from the whole Boaty McBoatface fiasco, the Philadelphia Zoo announced Wednesday it was asking the internet to help name its latest baby gorilla.
The internet responded as you might expect: suggesting the name Harambe in droves.
Harambe, of course, was the name of the gorilla killed at the Cincinnati Zoo earlier this year after a 3-year-old boy fell into its enclosure -- the gorilla that's become so feted and joked about online it forced the zoo to close its social media accounts.
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The Philadelphia Zoo will probably not call its gorilla Harambe. For starters, they don't know what sex it is yet, as it's still being held close by its mother. Once they do know, they're planning on choosing a shortlist of names and asking the public to vote on them.
That has not stopped the inevitable deluge of Harambe references.
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Even after a tweet clarifying how the poll is going to work, Twitter users insisted it should be Harambe or some permutation thereof.
Except for Martin Shkreli.
The zoo said it was "amazed and humbled" by the "outpouring of support and genuine excitement."
But it clarified the rules around the naming vote and pretty much quashed anyone's dreams of another Harambe.
“[We are aware] that people have an interest in naming this baby after another gorilla we’ve all come to know this past year, I totally understand where that’s coming from,” Amy Shearer, the chief marketing officer for the zoo, told CNN.
“We never announced we were having a naming contest … What we are having is a voting opportunity for the community once we have better determined the gender of the baby and have worked internally with the team that has cared for the pregnancy and birth.”
Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
