People's feelings toward Harambe, the Cincinnati Zoo's dead silver-back gorilla, have evolved since May. From Twitter accounts to school clubs to even tattoos, Harambe's existence has been preserved and defended. Harambe's idolization by both animal rights groups and internet "meme-lords" has caught much attention, so much as to be discussed on national news stations.
The memes produced in Harambe's honor have not just received positive remarks. The Cincinnati zoo, overwhelmed with Tweets and comments related to Harambe, asked people to "...stop making memes of our dead gorilla..." This only received further hate, spurring comments such as, "How about you stop making dead gorillas?" by verified Twitter user @TheClemReport. After realizing that the meme bombardment would take a while to die down, the Cincinnati zoo deleted both their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Although many cannot fathom the immense amount of support that Harambe has accumulated over the last few months, they need to understand that he actually did some good. Harambe, or the idea of Harambe, has brought many people close together, whether it be just for giggles, or to actually accomplish something. Giant groups fighting for animals rights and environmental care have been organized, all because of just one silver-back gorilla.
RIP Harambe 1999-2016
