Harambe and the Meme That Never Dies
"A gorilla was shot at a zoo in 2016. The internet reacted. Nine years later, Harambe is still everywhere — and no one fully understands why"
What Happened?
Harambe was a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla living at the Cincinnati Zoo. On May 28, 2016, a 3-year-old child fell into his enclosure. After 10 minutes in which Harambe dragged and positioned the child, zoo officials shot and killed the gorilla. Within days, "Dicks Out for Harambe" became a meme. By August 2016, Harambe had received votes in the US presidential election write-in totals. In 2017, a Harambe NFT sold for nearly $70,000. In 2021, a Harambe-themed meme coin briefly reached a $1 billion market cap. He has never left internet culture.
Why People Are Talking About This
A gorilla was shot at a zoo in 2016. The internet reacted. Nine years later, Harambe is still everywhere — and no one fully understands why
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