Gorilla killing: Cincinnati zoo deactivates Twitter account

A zoo in the US where a gorilla was killed earlier this year has deleted its Twitter account after constant online trolls about the animal's death, the media reported.

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.

Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla, was shot dead in May to save a three-year-old boy who had crawled through a barrier and had fallen into the animal's enclosure.

The incident sparked international outrage and has since then been subject to controversy, prompting angry tweets and petitions.

Social media users trying to visit 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.

The zoo's Facebook page was still up and running, the report said.

--IANS

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