The Most Influential Animals Of 2016

2016 was a year of terrible events, including the death of some of the greatest animals. Some of these animals were just famous for being funny, but others were famous for shedding light on both animal abuse and hunting.

Harambe

Harambe was the king of 2016. RIP. This Western Lowland gorilla lived at the Cincinnati Zoo until a child fell over the fence into his gorilla enclosure. The gorilla was shot down by the zoo to try to protect the child, but the internet went crazy. Harambe soon became part of the meme world, and gained millions of followers worldwide.

One of his most loyal fans is the big pharma naughty boy, Martin Shkreli, who went public with his love for the gorilla on CNN. During the 2016 election, over 11,000 people wrote in Harambe for president of the United States. Harambe also highlighted how horribly zoo animals are cared for and how there needs to be more focus on the health of animals in captive.