Harambe, the gorilla that turned into an online martyr after it was killed while dragging a child who fell into its zoo enclosure, would have turned 27 on Thursday — and the White House acknowledged the occasion with a lengthy tribute to “the legend.”
The bizarre remembrance was posted on X late Wednesday evening, just hours before the 10th anniversary of Harambe’s death.
It celebrated the western lowland gorilla as a “true patriot” who was emblematic of “American culture.”
Today, we remember a legend,” the White House wrote.
“He became a symbol of loyalty, strength, chaos, unity, and the strange beauty of the internet bringing millions of people together for one cause: never forgetting Harambe.”
Harambe was fatally shot at the Cincinnati Zoo on May 28, 2016 during a desperate attempt to save a 4-year-old boy who fell into the gorilla habitat. Witnesses captured the moment Harambe dragged the boy’s prone body through a stream inside the exhibit.
Zoo staff tried to order Harambe to back away and opened fire when it refused.
“Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. And somehow, a decade later, his legacy still lives on,” the post concluded. “Gone, but never forgotten. Forever in our hearts.”
A cult-like following quickly latched onto the “Justice for Harambe’’ movement, whose memes transcended more modern fads like “6-7.”
A candlelight vigil held in London five months after the ape’s death attracted hundreds of fans. The insanity even crossed over into America’s professional sports, with online retailer Fanatics approving the sale of “Harambe” jerseys for the 2016 MLB and NFL seasons.
The rise of Harambe coincided with the tail-end of President Trump’s first presidential campaign. Just days after the gorilla was gunned down, Trump weighed in on the shooting.
“I thought it was so beautiful to watch that, you know, powerful, almost 500-pound gorilla, the way he dealt with that little boy,” Trump said at the time.
“But it just takes one second — one second — it’s not like it takes place over — well, he’s going to do it in 30 seconds from now. It just takes one little flick of his finger. And I will tell you they probably had no choice.”
Snap polls ahead of the 2016 election indicated that up to 5% of voters would have rather cast a ballot for Harambe over Trump and Hillary Clinton.
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