Cincinnati Zoo Shuts Down Facebook and Twitter Due to Harambe Memes

Yesterday we wrote about Cincinnati Zoo’s plea for the internet to stop making Harambe memes. Unfortunately this outcry didn’t exactly go to plan for the zoo, with them now shutting down their Facebook and Twitter accounts as a result of being inundated with a barrage of new jokes regarding the deceased gorilla.

Since Harambe was shot and killed by Cincinnati Zoo employees after a three-year-old child fell into the gorilla enclosure, the ape has been the subject of many jokes online, with the zoo having now directly acknowledged them. Cincinnati Zoo’s director Thane Maynard discussed the Harambe memes last week, saying: “We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe. Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honoring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us.”

However, despite Maynard pointing out the distress felt by the zoo upon facing an influx of Harambe memes, his words seemed to have the opposite effect, prompting more Facebook and Twitters users to begin posting memes directly to the zoo’s social media accounts.

As a result Cincinnati Zoo have now deleted both their Facebook and Twitter accounts, removing their online presence as they look to move beyond the tragic incident. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like the internet is going to allow them to do so any time soon.

Image Credit: John Sommers II / Stringer / Getty Images