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We should all feel terrible for whoever runs the Cincinnati Zoo’s Twitter account

Nobody could be more haunted by Harambe, the ape that died.

Feb 29, 2020, 1:52 am*

Internet Culture

It’s been several months now since Harambe, the ape who once roamed the Cincinnati Zoo (or at least the confines of his enclosure there) was shot dead. As time goes on, and other memes attempt to emerge—like Arthur and his menacing fist—it seems that Harambe memes will never die.

Ever since his killing, the Cincinnati Zoo Twitter account, @CincinnatiZoo, has ben barraged with replies about what happened to Harambe. Some are funny, some are sad, and some aim to profit from T-shirts geared toward people who remain obsessed with Harambe (i.e., everyone).

Here are a few replies one month after the day that will live in infamy until the end of time. Or, you know, until something even crazier happens.

https://twitter.com/_Ruckerish/status/748223972341223424

https://twitter.com/bapeshits/status/757096844673417216

Listen, I’m the first to admit it: What they did to my mans Harambe is messed up. But I can’t stop thinking that whoever has to run the zoo’s Twitter account must have a terrible job now. And anyone they hire in the future? Can you imagine what that job application would look like? 

Must be able to handle a high volume of Twitter mentions. Must be able to read replies about our once beloved ape Harambe, who was murdered with extreme prejudice in broad daylight. You are not allowed to cry at your desk. If you have to cry, you can use the Denny’s bathroom next door. If you see my ex-wife Cheryl at Denny’s, tell her to return my calls.

Here’s what the replies looked like two months after the incident.

https://twitter.com/solmundur1/status/758773580574429184

I’m willing to say it: Some of these replies are absolutely hilarious. It can be assumed that most of the people doing this aren’t actually too upset anymore about what happened, but likely just trolling, hoping to get a reaction from someone. I’d bet that the zoo has a board hanging on the wall that says “Days Since Last Mention of Harambe” that never ticks upward from zero, and they probably threw out the board that said, “Days Since Last Accident” because the first board keeps falling on zoo staff.

Here are a couple tweets from just a few days ago, and as you can see, the replies are still going strong. And in case you haven’t inferred this already, yes, these replies pop up every single day in between these dates as well.

https://twitter.com/WeLoveHarambe/status/763823739788259332

https://twitter.com/mickninnich/status/763823811951267840

Yes, your eyes are functioning correctly. That is a Teespring campaign for a “Harambe ’16” presidential candidate T-shirt. I bought one for my grandma and she wears it because she thinks it says “Hillary.”

https://twitter.com/oLightt/status/761850636988141568

Yet as funny as this is, whoever took the Cincinnati Zoo social media job didn’t sign up for this. I mean, whoever’s running this Twitter account isn’t the actual person who shot and killed Harambe. Or…were they? 

[Cue X-Files theme music.]

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*First Published: Aug 16, 2016, 10:00 am