US3 min(s) read
Published 11:34 29 May 2026 GMT
The White House left numerous social media users confused after posting a long-form message in memory of the late ape Harambe.
The gorilla, who once lived in Cincinnati Zoo, was shot dead after a three-year-old child fell into its enclosure.
It was one of the biggest tragedies in internet history, as the western lowland gorilla could be seen splashing around in the water, grabbing, dragging, and throwing the three-year-old boy.
Zoo officials had asked gorillas in the enclosure to return back inside, but Harambe stayed out and kept handling the boy on May 28, 2016.
Visitors started to film the incident on their phones, as Harambe continued carrying the boy through the enclosure, even propping him up when he tried to sit.
Onlookers were heard sounding progressively more concerned, before the gorilla was killed with a shot to the head, while the toddler was still between his legs.
But shortly before the 10th anniversary of his death, the official White House X account paid tribute.
The White House took to social media on Wednesday (May 27) to pay tribute to the late ape, calling him a "legend."
They wrote: "On this day in history, Harambe would have celebrated another birthday. An icon that became part of internet history, American culture, and an entire generation’s timeline.
"Tomorrow marks 10 years since we lost him. Ten years since the moment the world stopped scrolling and collectively mourned something bigger than a meme," it read.
"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," they stated.
The White House said that his "legacy lives on," calling the gorilla a "true patriot."
To this day, many feel like death was harsh on the gorilla, who could've been as confused as the boy with the incident.
The boy was taken to hospital, though his injuries were determined not to be life-threatening.
Harambe's video went viral, and he posthumously shot to fame, becoming one of the most recognisable memes of 2016.
Questions on the fatal shooting of the great ape were brought up in the documentary Harambe, which was released on World Gorilla Day, September 24, 2023.
Speaking to UnchainedTV, documentary director Erik Crown explained why officials chose to shoot harambe dead, instead of tranquilize him.
He said that "tranquilizers don't work the way people think of in movies."
"You don't fire a tranquilizer dart and somebody goes down, it actually puts the system into overdrive which then shuts the system down," Crown explained.
"It can take up to 20, 25 minutes to become active, especially inside of a large gorilla. That may have agitated Harambe, may have led to a different outcome or a very dangerous outcome for the boy."
The director went on: "As much as we would have liked to have seen a non-lethal ending to it, I don't believe the zookeepers necessarily had a choice with the way their program runs, and that is exactly why we feel we should not have endangered animals in captivity anymore."
