The article used an AP news photo of George P. Vierheller from the St. Louis Zoo with two little gorillas, a male and a female. (I would image that this was a staged photo op, since these two youngsters could probably have torn up the inside of that car in short order.) Richard Reynolds can probably identify these two and tell us more about their histories. |
Sunday, April 26, 2009
GORILLA #3
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5 comments:
If this photo was published in NG in 1940, then the two gorillas would be those acquired by the St. Louis zoo on June 8, 1938.
They were a male named Jackie and female named Coquette. Neither lived long - - the female died on July 20, 1939 and the male on August 1, 1940.
Thank you Richard. I've seen the photo before but had no idea who the gorillas were. The best known St. Louis gorilla, Phil, came to the zoo in September, 1941, after these two. The Zoo had a female gorilla in the chimpanzee show in 1936 and she died shortly after the season. I don't believe she was the Zoo's first gorilla.
Interesting photo for STL historians. From the sign in the background it might have been taken downtown. Just from a small peak at the driver's face it was Willy Raaf, a keeper at the Zoo for 42 years who was often Vierheller's chauffeur.
Jim: I remember Phil very well. When I took my kids to the St. Louis zoo in 1969, he was a star attraction. Phil would crouch nonchalantly at the back of his enclosure waiting to turn the tip (as Ward Hall would say). Suddenly he would charge toward the front, dip a large paw into a puddle of water and splash as many of his his admiring fans as possible. Then he would retreat to await a new bunch of suckers. Is it possible Phil considered them lot lice?
Lane Talburt
Lane,
The gorilla that threw water was M'Boom (Phil died in Dec. 1958). M'Boom would set-up visitors just as you said, sitting quietly "building the tip". He get a crowd and make the run toward a pool in his cage and with his large hand and forearm swipe a "bucket" of water on the guests. They'd scream and run off and a new group would line-up for the same treatment. M'Boom left for the Dallas Zoo in the early 70's. He sired at least one offspring there - more fun than splashing people.
Whew, thanks, Jim. I was hoping it was only water that M'Boom was splashing on the towners. Lane
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