--- title: J.K. Rowling Clarifies: Harambe Is Not an Official Patronus description: The 'Harry Potter' author wants you to know that the deceased gorilla Harambe, a popular internet meme, is not an official Patronus option. canonical: https://time.com/4504671/j-k-rowling-harambe/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-22T17:33:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:36:53.810Z og:title: J.K. Rowling Clarifies: Harambe Is Not an Official Patronus og:description: The Harry Potter took to Twitter to explain that the gorilla is not an option. og:url: https://time.com/4504671/j-k-rowling-harambe/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Clarifies: Harambe Is Not an Official Patronus twitter:description: The Harry Potter took to Twitter to explain that the gorilla is not an option. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # J.K. Rowling Wants You to Know That 'Harambe' Is Not an Official Patronus Option > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=24245b16-2915-4096-b7db-aac8014a90c4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=24245b16-2915-4096-b7db-aac8014a90c4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=24245b16-2915-4096-b7db-aac8014a90c4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 22, 2016 5:33 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 22, 2016 5:33 PM UTC No, [the gorilla Harambe](http://time.com/4352001/cincinnati-zoo-gorilla-killed-harambe-boy-toddler/?iid=sr-link1) is not an official, J.K.-Rowling-approved Patronus option. On Thursday, Harry Potter fans went into a frenzy with the [launch of the Patronus “experience”](http://time.com/4504169/patronus-pottermore/?iid=sr-link1) on the all-things-Potter Pottermore site, in which Muggles can discover the corporeal animal form that their spirit shields would take — if we were able to perform the advanced-level magic of the [beloved Patronus Charm](http://time.com/4209231/harry-potter-spell/?iid=sr-link4), of course. As users have shared across social media, the results are exceptionally diverse and specific: all kinds of creatures have been produced, from tortoiseshell cats to run-of-the-mill rats to even mythical fire-dwelling salamanders. But in the seemingly-endless universe of Patronus options, there’s one animal that’s definitely not going to appear at the end of the quiz, and that’s the [deceased, meme-ified mountain gorilla](http://time.com/4464435/harambe-the-gorilla/?iid=sr-link2) Harambe, who once called the Cincinnati Zoo home and has since become a running viral joke. Rowling retweeted a comedy account that shared a Harambe-as-Patronus joke image — but then tweeted again to clear everything up. Now, carry on practicing your pronunciation of “Expecto patronum,” wizard wannabes! > [](https://twitter.com/theCHIVE/status/778978146045431808) > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778998962367918084) > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778999160607502336) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4504671/j-k-rowling-harambe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4504671/j-k-rowling-harambe/"},"headline":"J.K. Rowling Wants You to Know That 'Harambe' Is Not an Official Patronus Option","datePublished":"2016-09-22T17:33:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:36:53.810Z","description":"Expecto... meme?","url":"https://time.com/4504671/j-k-rowling-harambe/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Entertainment","viral","Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4504671/j-k-rowling-harambe/","name":"J.K. Rowling Wants You to Know That 'Harambe' Is Not an Official Patronus Option"}}]}] ```