Alfred--Bristol Zoo

A young Alfred, before he went to live at the Bristol Museum


Solved after 50 years, the mysterious disappearance of Alfred the ...





Alfred had the "honor" of having famed Roland Ward do the honors.

Wow!Gorillas is a project sponsored by the Bristol Zoo in 2011 that displays 61 decorated life-sized fibreglass gorilla sculptures on the streets of Bristol, England.

The project follows the concept of the “Land in Sicht” the original Swedish project by artistic director Walter Knapp which has inspired the subsequent worldwide exhibition "CowParade" and similar exhibitions in other cities.

Gorillas have had an iconic significance for Bristol city since Alfred the gorilla arrived at the Bristol Zoo and was one of the first gorillas successfully kept in captivity. At his death, Alfred was the oldest Gorilla in the world kept in captivity. Alfred became so important for the city and for its meaningfulness in the effort of saving primates, that after his death his body was stuffed by taxidermist Rowland Ward and kept on display at Bristol City Museum.

In March 1956 Alfred's body disappeared from the glass cabinet of the museum for several days before turning up in a doctor's office. The identity of the kidnappers remained unknown for over 50 years. When the mystery of the kidnappers was finally solved the authorities declared that, although such illegal activities should never be condoned, no action would be taken. The disappearance was not malicious and was indeed regarded as one of the acts related to one of the most loved figures of Bristol city.

This historical and current love and dedication towards primates has made the project especially attractive to locals and visitors, and has initiated a cascade of other initiatives such as schools learning programmes, incorporating art and environmental awareness.

The aim of the project has been to raise awareness about the extinction crisis facing primates in the wild and it is sponsored by the Bristol Zoo on the occasion of its 175th birthday and its long lasting effort to save primates in Cameroon, most notably at Ape Action Africa. The Zoo has saved a number of gorillas to date, and is currently taking care of a group of six now living together on-site.

After the street exhibition (ten weeks between the 6th of July and the 7th September 2011) the sculptures were sold at auction in Bristol on 29th September, raising £427,300, and the proceeds donated to charity.

Sampson--Milwaukee Zoo

Sampson's death mask here


At 32 years, Samson died suddenly on November 27th, 1981 from a massive heart attack . A necropsy on his body revealed five previous heart attacks that had gone undetected. Unlike Sambo, Samson's body was retained for some time by the zoo. When the Museum received it, the skin and hair were unsuitable for standard taxidermy, but the skeleton was but on exhibit in 1996.

From MILWAUKEE WATCHDOG:

What happened to Samson, the 652 pound lowland gorilla so many Milwaukeeans used to watch with amazement at the Milwaukee County Zoo? Why isn't he on display for all of us to reminise about and relive the terror that big ape used to evoke when he would throw a temper tantrum and bang on the glass?

The short answer is he's dead (get over it) but the question remains about what happened to his remains. For years the moody gorilla was laid up in a freezer while others debated whether to display him and if so, how? Would he be stuffed and displayed in one of his angrier looking poses?

That decision was made for them when it was discovered that Samson had suffered from freezer burn.

Maybe someone didn't close his ziplock tight enough or maybe there was a hole in the bag, but once it was discovered that he was freezer burned that was it for Samson — he wasn't going to be stuffed.

His skeleton was displayed at the Milwaukee Public Museum in their Sense of Wonder exibit but now a taxidermist is creating a fake Samson. For those of us who remember Samson's meltdown's, it ought to be interesting to see if the taxidermist can capture his essence.

Comment:

I believe that she has! I have viewed the exhibit twice since it opened and am now a museum volunteer. What a wonderful exhibit! His keeper, Sam, is often there….and he will share his enthusiasm for the job the taxidermist has done….as well as wonderful stories about his old friend (By the way, he will tell you that Samson had few actual meltdowns…..most of his antics were meant for his own entertainment, to see the crowd react) It’s interesting that the recreation of Samson, even though it is not complete (synthetic hair is currently being applied), truly looks like Samson……while Sambo(previous post below), complete with original hide, does not. Apparently his taxidermist was not attempting to make him look like himself…..just like a lowland gorilla in the wild.

1966

Memories of Samson the Gorilla | Zoological Society of Milwaukee

Sampson gained fame basically for being a fat bastard, tipping the scales at over 600 lbs.(Jim, do you suppose Speidel was sitting on his lap?) and for constantly whacking the glass enclosing his exhibit. Geez....... The photo of Sampson above is one of the few available where is is not sitting on a scale eating.

Sambo--Milwaukee Zoo

Sambo is only famous for being the brother of Sampson. He now lives in the Rainforest exhibit at the Milwaukee County Museum. The taxidermist should have been given a prison sentence for this piece of work.

Matze--Frankfurt Zoo

1994

2004

2007


Josip Marcan may have had a hand in teaching a young Matze(mentioned below) about the "birds and the bee's" which would explain his prowess with the ladies at an old age(Matze's as well as Josip's). Matze is the Grandfather of that hootenanny Bokito, residing in Rotterdam, who gained fame by whacking a women around in the restaurant. :)

The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": DHRotterdam Zoo--Bokito

Bobby--Berlin Zoo

The gorilla Bobby.


Although famous for the amount of schnitzel and sauerkraut he could consume, Bobby actually gained immortality after his death due to the revolutionary taxidermy process used to preserve him: 'Bobby is a good example of a particularly successful dermoplastic, which is still considered a masterpiece of art preparation. The two taxidermists developed while the technology of the Teilparaffinierung little hairy body parts that were integrated into the dermoplastic. In this impregnation method to prevent the shrinkage of specimens during drying. Here, the water contained in the cell tissue is replaced by solid substances such as paraffin or polyethylene glycol. This natural representation in primates is especially important to play their face, hands and feet a prominent role for the external appearance.'

Interesting account of the first gorilla to arrive in Europe, and sold to the Berlin Aquarium from Radio Berlin:

'Until 1876, succeeds the long-awaited coup. The first living gorilla is coming to Europe - to Berlin. A peaceable, "melancholic" monkey child, touching and affectionate.

Falkenstein, physician and zoologist of the expedition, found the little gorilla at the second October 1875 tied to the magazine of the Portuguese Pontanegra Laurentino Antonio dos Santos, a weighbridge and immediately offered any reasonable price.

"Accepting By being brought gradually there any food and to tolerate, increased the prospect of bring him safely to Europe, and this is certainly the only way, then other young gorillas for the crossing to get ready; Any attempt to directly without obtaining the prior cessation of the old ways, without the changed conditions very slowly and methodically adjust to bring on board will have time and again and again, a more or less rapidly wasting away and death. "

On 30 June 1876 M'pungu arrives, accompanied by the congratulations of the old Charles Darwin, after a triumphal march through half of Europe to Berlin. '

Bobby--Berlin Zoo

1928 with author Paul Eippers

But numerous eyewitnesses, Bobby studied, described and made famous. The most famous among them, the popular author Paul Eipper, has the most spectacular of all held in Germany zoo gorillas immortalized twice, the first time in 1928 in the book club bestseller "animals look at you" and again in more detail in 1934 In his book "The animal lover travels":

"Spread through the Zoofachwelt suddenly an interesting rumor: in Marseille, it was said, a small middlemen got a male gorilla, and as the animal dealer Hermann was away resting in Eros de Cagnes only a few hours from Marseille, he met the first one , was actually in a wooden shed next to monkeys and other small monkeys - "Bobby," buy the baby gorilla Generally animal dealer gorillas do not like, they had previously made ​​almost always a bad experience and felt that this kind of apes if we survive. was. But what was told peace in Marseilles, was extraordinary and very appealing. The gorilla said to have been taken on board as an infant, have spent three years as an equal family member of an African farmer and was there so malnourished been possible also here in Germany is. Bobby got milk rice, applesauce, bananas, white bread and crackers, and it could be boiled and fried meat, prized jam and sweet tea. "



1935


Bobby gained fame as the first gorilla at the Berlin Zoo. Feed basically a human diet he died at the age of 9, in 1935 from appendicitis. Compare that to Frankfurt Zoo's Matze(1957-2008) who died at the age of 51, to appreciate zoological advancement in learning. In photo's of Bobby, his structure has always looked "dwarfy" to me. I always assumed it was due to the horrid diet that he was raised on. But the results of his necropsy point to an other issue: 'The autopsy revealed that the pituitary gland - an important gland in the brain - was underdeveloped. This was also the reason why he was, despite his ten years of life never fully grown.'