Cincinnati Zoo rejoins Twitter following Harambe controversy

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Zoo has rejoined Twitter after a two-month hiatus that was sparked by outrage over the May shooting death of Harambe, the zoo’s 17-year-old gorilla.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the zoo deactivated its account on the popular social media platform on Aug. 21 and resumed tweeting CincinnatiZoo on Tuesday.

Zoo spokeswoman Michelle Curley says the Twitter account went back up last week. It was abandoned following account hacks that targeted the zoo and director Thane Maynor in the wake of Harambe’s death.

The Western lowland gorilla was killed by employees after a young boy fell into his enclosure.

Curley says impostors not affiliated with the zoo tried to pass themselves off as the official account during the hiatus. Zoo officials applied to Twitter for verified status.

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