Kamala dies at National Zoo: Beloved elephant euthanized days before election and the internet has jokes
R.I.P.Kamala.
No, not that one.A beloved elephant at the National Zoo named Kamala was euthanized Saturday in D.C.
— setting off a flurry of jokes about the wild timing, as Vice President Kamala Harris is facing former president Donald Trump in what could be the closest presidential race in recent years.Kamala, a longtime member of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd, had been struggling with osteoarthritis for years and her physical health had “irreversibly declined,” prompting the zoo to humanely euthanize her, the zoo said in a statement.
The timing of the 50-year-old elephant’s demise — mere days before the election — had the memers in stitches, with many pondering if it was a sign that Trump would emerge victorious — or joking that he made a wish that had gone wrong.“Trump is real mad at a genie right now,” wrote Armand Domalewski, the co-founder of YIMBYs for Harris.
Another X user chimed in: “A bad omen, but for whom? It is an elephant, the Republican animal, but named Kamala, like the Democratic candidate.The seers are troubled.” Reactions seemed to split along party lines, with Republicans taking it as a promising sign for the election while Democrats piled on to poke fun at Trump.
“You know Trump’s kicking himself right now because he f–ked up the last wish on his monkey paw,” one person wrote.Another person joked: “To even things out, I’ve just personally euthanized a donkey named Donald.”Others referenced P’nut the squirrel, a beloved pet with over 3 million social media followers who was euthanized over the weekend — and emerged as an unlikely celebrity among Republicans.
“retaliation for peanut the squirrel smh,” one person wrote.Another chimed in: “Republicans have struck back after the assault on the squirrel.”Some even looked for other viral animals to blame, with one person writing, “Moo Deng did this.” While the jokes poured in and the Internet pondered whether it was a...