Tuesday, October 09, 2007

From Wayne Jackson

I was wondering if you could help me find out for a friend of mine about a
comment on your Blog about a male Gorilla that was owned by Johnny Lamm and
was still at a Mexican Safari Park, named Zacango Zoologico? It would be
interesting to know if the male Gorilla is still at this facility and if he
is living alone?

I hope you can help?

Elaine L. Hales & Wayne A. Jackson
lfantman@sympatico.ca

Posted by Buckles at 10/09/2007 12:32:00 PM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Buck;es,, I was on the phone with Jimmy Elliott this afternoon, He hopes to be released from the hospital sometime tommorrow.. He will spend several weeks at his sons place to continue to heal. He sounds great and is very much looking forward to comming home to Florida... Thanks Buclkes ,
Mr. Lee

09 October, 2007 17:47
Dennis said...

Buckles
Sorry to post this here but I have not been able to find an email for you.
I have some ride elephant photos from here in Thailand if you want them. How do I send them to you?
Dion

09 October, 2007 21:43
Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds says - - -

Lam got the gorilla “Kong” from an amusement park in Japan, apparently in 1975. There are two stories about he came to obtain the gorilla.

Dr. Manuel de la Rosa told one of them in the Jan-Feb 1976 White Tops. There he reviewed the Vazquez family’s Circo Circo Americana’s engagement in July-August 1975 in Mexico City. Johnny Lam had Kong on the show. Dr. de la Rosa said Johnny paid $12,000 for him during his [Johnny’s] year long engagement at the park. On Circo Circo Lam was said to have Kong in the A-B-Cs of training, meaning I suppose he was just breaking him in. Presumably, Lam was in Japan in 1974 and perhaps into 1975.

The next year (1976) Kong was with Johnny Lam on Ward Hall’s “Magic on Parade” in Mexico City.

A letter from Ward Hall to RJR III, dated 21 March 1998, advised as follows:

“The gorilla was named ‘Kong,’ a male. Johnny Lam, [is] of Chinese – Mexican – Jewish ancestry, not from a circus family, but a very talented animal trainer. On our [Hall & Christ Shows] “Magic On Parade” in Mexico, Johnny presented uncaged jaguar, leopard, and Siberian tiger. He also had a chimp act (3 or 5 ? animals) and his wife had a dog act. The show spent about 3 ½ months in Mexico City. It was detailed in Bandwagon [in my article] titled “From Big Shot to Big Top To Big Flop.[Jan/Feb, 1991 issue]”

“ ‘Kong’ [gorilla] was very gentle. [I have a photo of him sitting on my lap.] At that time he was being trained but not in the performance yet.”

“The year before Johnny [Lam] had his chimps in an amusement park in Japan. They allegedly became in arrears in Johnny’s pay. They had the gorilla at the park and let him [Johnny] have it for monies due.”

“The last I heard of [Lam], a couple of years ago, I got a tape of the ‘Tihany’ show where he was performance director and presenting an animal act. I don’t think the tape showed ‘Kong.’ So I am unaware if he still has him or not.”

According to animal trainer Mike Cecere of Hastings, NY (in. litt, 1 Mar. 1997) Lam still had the gorilla around 1983.

I know nothing about Kong’s being sent to a Mexican Safari Park.

11 October, 2007 17:39

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