The Cincinnati Zoo recently issued the following statement to communicate that they are quite displeased with all of the Harambe memes and petitions that have flooded the internet recently.
“We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe,” Cincinnati Zoo director, Thane Maynard stated via email. “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,” the Associated Press reports.
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Naturally, we took it upon ourselves to find the best (worst?) Harambe memes that have been circulating on the internet.
Some of the most creative ones include…
1. The Harambe/”Crying Jordan” mash-up meme (pictured above)
2. Harambe’s “cameo” in Field of Dreams
3. Harambe vs. Cecil the Lion in heaven
These three aforementioned memes (and many more) made our list of the social media posts that the Cincinnati Zoo probably didn’t like. Check out the gallery to see some of the other most popular memes, you know, just so you’re aware of what not to post anymore.
Not only has there been a plethora of Harambe memes going around, but also there’s been a wide variety of outrageous petitions started to commemorate the fallen gorilla. Some of these petitions include: adding Harambe to the next Pokémon game, putting him on the dollar bill, adding his face to Mount Rushmore, and changing the name of the NFL team the Cincinnati Bengals.
Twitter has been just as ruthless as any social media forum for the Cincinnati Zoo. Virtually every post by the zoo is met with an overwhelmingly negative response with people bringing up Harambe. While some of the outrage was to be expected, no one could have anticipated the level to which social media would work to keep the controversy alive. Read the responses to the following tweet posted by the Cincinnati Zoo.
Literally every social media post by the Cincinnati Zoo since Harambe’s death have these types of responses. Every. Single. One. Is this kind of behavior over the top? Probably, but we can’t help but think that the onslaught of Harambe memes/petitions/signs are only going to get worse in the wake of the Zoo’s latest public statement asking for it to stop.
Which one of these memes is your favorite? And, what are some of the best Harambe memes you’ve seen that didn’t make our list?
[H/T The Associated Press]
