Jeff McCurry
It’s been ten years since Harambe the Gorilla died after a child fell into his enclosure, and the White House has now released a tribute to commemorate the viral monkey.
Depending on how old you are, most will remember the viral story back in 2016, where a three-year-old child climbed into the Gorilla enclosure in the Cincinnati Zoo. To rescue the child, the keepers made the decision to use lethal force on the Gorilla (Harambe), who was pulling the child around.
This caused public outrage, with many claiming that Harambe didn’t do anything to harm the boy and didn’t deserve to die. What followed was a slew of memes, rather questionable t-shirt designs commemorating him, movies, songs (from Elon Musk, no less), worldwide memorials, and even an official International Harambe Day (May 28, the day of his death).
Well, it’s now been ten years since that incident, and tons are remembering the event, including a pretty bizarre comment from none other than the White House.
White House posts statement on Harambe’s death
Commemorating 10 years since Harambe was killed, the White House posted on X, calling the Gorilla “an icon” and “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 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.”
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Today, we remember a legend.
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… pic.twitter.com/8kfaiuY5zy
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2026
“Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. And somehow, a decade later, his legacy still lives on,” they continued, leaving the final comments: “Gone, but never forgotten. Rest easy to a true patriot.”
This year would have been Harambe’s 27th birthday, and given that the average lifespan of a western lowland gorilla is around 50 years when in captivity, Harambe would have still been around today. Maybe he’d even have been as viral as the adorable Punch?
