Cincinnati Zoo has said that while interest in Harambe remains high, it must close the book on the incident, which saw the gorilla shot and killed to protect a three-year-old who fell into its exhibit.

Speaking to Hamilton County commissioners, Thane Maynard, the zoo’s director said that the zoo and its staff are having to adapt to a post-Harambe world.

"There's still a lot of Harambe interest," he said. "We've got to put this to rest because our constituents have asked us to."

Following the gorilla’s death, famous sportspeople and other celebrities have paid tribute to the gorilla, which has become an online sensation in the form of an internet meme.

Public officials, who must approve a tax levy for the zoo before it goes to ballot, said they were “satisfied” with the zoo’s handling of the incident.

"You did it right," said commissioner Dennis Deters. "The measure of an organisation is how you deal with adversity."

The zoo reactivated its social media feeds on 18 October, immediately receiving a barrage of Harambe messages from its followers, some of which were aggressive or abusive in tone. According to the zoo during its time offline, a number of people tried to pass themselves off as the zoo. It deactivated its feeds in August after receiving a torrent of abuse.

The zoo this week completed work on increasing the safety of its gorilla exhibit, making the barrier 42 inches high – six inches taller than the previous wall – also including a mesh fence from top to bottom to prevent small children from crawling through. The barrier had been active for 38 years without incident.