Harambe lives: Killed US zoo gorilla gets a second life online

Harambe, a western lowland gorilla who was fatally shot to protect a 3-year-old boy who had entered its exhibit.

Cincinnati: Harambe (huh-RAHM'-bay), the Ohio zoo gorilla shot and killed after a 3-year-old boy got into his enclosure, has taken on life after death.

The late 17-year-old great ape has shown up in tongue-in-cheek petitions to rename the hometown Cincinnati Bengals, to add his face to Mount Rushmore or the Lincoln Memorial, and to put him on the dollar bill.

He has grown the angel wings and halo of a deity in social media memorials. He's even been mock-nominated for president.

The Harambe phenomenon is fed by genuine sadness over his May 28 death, continued controversy over the circumstances that led to it, and the penchant of many social media users for satire.