Harambe killing: Cincinnati zoo deletes official Twitter account

Zee Media Bureau/Udita Madan

Washington: In May this year, the Internet broke loose over the 'unfair' killing of Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, who was shot dead by Cincinnati zoo workers.

The entire world cried foul after the zoo staff killed the giant ape in a bid to save a 3-year-old boy, who had managed to crawl through the barrier and fallen into the gorilla's enclosure.

Since then, the zoo's official account on social media websites, especially Twitter, has been flooded with constant trolling, memes, jokes, sarcastic comments and mentions regarding the killing, which many seem to think was uncalled for.

Although the zoo's officials gave a statement explaining the reason behind the move, it seems the public isn't ready to buy it. But now, the zoo staff appears to have had enough of the hate.

In what seems to be an exasperated move, the zoo deleted its Twitter account, owing to the trolling it has continuously been receiving.

The move comes a day after the Cincinnati Zoo said it was "not amused" by the flood of comments jokes, memes and mentions of Harambe – the gorilla – on its micro-blogging website page, Time.com reported on Tuesday.

Social media users trying to reach the Cincinnati Zoo's Twitter account on Tuesday were redirected to a page that says: “Sorry, that page doesn't exist.”

The "constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult" for the zoo's staff, Thane Maynard, Director at Cincinnati Zoo in the US, was quoted as saying in a statement to a new agency.

"We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe," Maynard added.

However, the zoo's Facebook page was still very much active, the report said.

(With IANS inputs)