Harambe memes are not amusing to the Cincinnati Zoo

This article was originally published on PEOPLE.com.

The nation has not stopped talking about Harambe the gorilla since the animal’s death on May 28.

Harambe, a 17-year-old Western Lowland silverback gorilla, was shot and killed after he grabbed a 3-year-old boy who fell into his exhibit at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Amongst the outrage and mourning that followed Harambe’s death, a sort of online celebrity memorial emerged and took forms both supportive and bizarre. According to the Associated Press, a sympathetic and serious Internet movement to find “Justice for Harambe” has turned into a burst of outlandish and satirical petitions, demanding the Cincinnati Bengals be renamed in honor of the gorilla, that the late ape’s face should be added to Mount Rushmore and for the animal to be added to the 2016 presidential ballot. And where there is an online obsession, there are always memes. The photos of the gorilla that first filled sites like Twitter, Reddit and 4chan have turned into darkly humorous jabs at the controversial situation.

It’s a turn of events that has left Harambe’s former home and keepers feeling hurt and perturbed.

“We are not amused by the memes, petitions and signs about Harambe,” Thane Maynard, Cincinnati Zoo director, told AP via email. “Our zoo family is still healing, and the constant mention of Harambe makes moving forward more difficult for us. We are honoring Harambe by redoubling our gorilla conservation efforts and encouraging others to join us .”

The online evolution of Harambe has gone so far, that some users are starting to create petitions to stop petitions.

“At first, the petitioners had good intentions,” WCPO.com web editor James Leggate wrote about why he started his petition to end satirical Harambe-based asks. “But then the goofuses of the Internet hopped on the Harambe train for their jollies, and it has gotten out of control.”

While the deceased gorilla has had an Internet half-life longer than most, like all online fascinations, it has an expiration date. Many animal lovers hope when the memes end, lasting real-life awareness will prevail.

“There are a lot of people who really do feel bad about what happened to him,” Esther Clinton, a specialist in popular culture at Bowling Green, said. “There’s a sense of here’s this poor guy, just in his cage imprisoned by humans, minding his own business; a kid climbs into his cage and he gets shot. It brings up all sorts of questions: about the zoo model, about the rights of non-human primates, about parenting.”