Famous zoo animals

[cerperal]

I've two off the top of my head, both perhaps more British celebrity animals than international but famous all the same. The first is Nico the silverback lowland gorilla and the second is Anne the retired circus elephant, both at Longleat.

I do miss Nico - he was a very impressive and charismatic fellow.

 

[Dassie rat]

Obaysch, a hippopotamus at London Zoo, had a polka named after him

 

[Dassie rat]

Benjamin was the last captive thylacine, dying at Beaumaris Zoo in 1936

 

[PossumRoach]

As far as I am aware there is Shabani the handsome gorilla from Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo who made it to international headlines.

 

[Platypusboy]

Benjamin was the last captive thylacine, dying at Beaumaris Zoo in 1936

Speaking of extinct animals, I think Martha the last ever Passenger pigeon deserves a mention. She died at Cincinnati zoo in 1914.

 

[splendens]

I've seen Methuselah the Australian lungfish who is currently the oldest living aquarium fish,
Rosa the sea otter, the oldest living sea otter and Claude the albino alligator.

 

[JVM]

To clarify, not all of the following animals meet the same standard of 'famous'.

Bushman the gorilla was not only pretty famous in life at Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the only gorillas on display in the country at the time, but his remains on display at the Field Museum remain an attraction there (specific designation on the map, mentioned in news stories) separate from the other taxidermy exhibits. I don't think any of the zoo's current residents meet his level of fame.

Brookfield has had quite a few famous animals, with Binti Jua probably taking the cake for saving a child who fell into the gorilla enclosure in 1996. (She is the only animal here I have seen in person.) Samson the gorilla was also a local favorite and is still promoted by the zoo, although I am unsure how famous he actually is. Olga the walrus was famous enough I've seen her mentioned in a non-zoo book at least and she was one of the zoo's icons. Some historical stuff also drew a lot of attention to Ziggy the elephant but there's not a lot of memory of him today that I know of.

When me and dad visited Milwaukee for the first time, Samson the gorilla was still well-remembered by him and still promoted as well with magnets in the gift shop at least.

 

[Dassie rat]

Brookfield has had quite a few famous animals, with Binti Jua probably taking the cake for saving a child who fell into the gorilla enclosure in 1996.

Jambo the gorilla rescued a child at Jersey Zoo:

 

[Jambi]

The first one that comes to my mind is Ken Allan, an orangutan at San Diego Zoo in the 80's who became famous for regularly escaping his enclosure, earning the nickname "Hairy Houdini".

 

[PossumRoach]

I just remembered Hanako the elephant from Inokashira whose controversial treatment made it to worldwide news.

Before then Hanako was known for being one of the first elephants to be sent to Japan post WWII. She toured around Japan while being shown to children.

Hanako has also caused two casualties on two separate occasions.

 

[dillotest0]

The first one that comes to my mind is Ken Allan, an orangutan at San Diego Zoo in the 80's who became famous for regularly escaping his enclosure, earning the nickname "Hairy Houdini".

Primates are often the best escape artists - I recall reading about a particularly high-stakes escape which took place in 1979 at the Columbus Zoo - where 2 Japanese Macaques noticed that a hose was left hanging over their enclosure wall - and they managed to swim across their moat to climb the hose - after which ensued a real escapade that lasted for half a year, with both macaques travelling over 160 kilometres away from the zoo! They would be caught once their reached the outskirts of Cleveland.

 

[Dassie rat]

One of London Zoo's first animals was a griffon vulture named Dr Brooks

 

[Paul Kalisch]

The first 'celebrity animal' that comes to my mind is the renowned walrus Antje that lived up to the age of 27 while residing in the even more renowned (old) Eismeer in Tierpark Hagenbeck.

She was of impressive size, in particular her tusks were extraordinary large for a female walrus kept in captivity, up to a point where rumors existed stating that Antje was a male specimen, though later on these rumors were easily refuted. Yet her fame is mostly based on her media presence, since she was the mascott of the german tv broadcaster NDR during the 80's, which made her an important figure in German tv shows, books and merchandising, aswell as in the zoo with performances and shows. Unfortunately, I could never witness Antje in her lifetime, but atleast I was able to meet her in Hamburg's Zoologiscal Museum, where she is displayed and can therefore still be admired up to this day.

Hence I would consider Antje an exemplary 'Famous Zoo Animal', when you come to think of the impressive influence in German media, especially in northern Germany, aswell as the meaning Antje carries for the facility Tierpark Hagenbeck, once again underlining the celebrity status.

Aus dem Leben eines tierischen Fernsehstars

Entscheidung für ein neues Naturkundemuseum : LIB

 

[Tim May]

Brookfield has had quite a few famous animals.....

Probably Brookfield Zoo's most famous animal was "Su-Lin", the first living giant panda to be seen outside China...
.

 

[birdsandbats]

Probably Brookfield Zoo's most famous animal was "Su-Lin", the first living giant panda to be seen outside China...
.

Cookie the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo is probably a close second.

 

[Dassie rat]

Siam the Asian elephant at Paris Vincennes

 

[Tetzoo Quizzer]

I also saw Guy, Chi Chi and Goldie at London Zoo; what about Lonesome George in Galapagos? Also the “original” white tigers at Bristol (whose names escape me); were the Okapis at this time also named?

 

[Pertinax]

Also the “original” white tigers at Bristol (whose names escape me); were the Okapis at this time also named?

First White Tigers were Champak(m) and Chemili(f)

First Okapis at Bristol were Bakeda(f) & Mazanga(m).

 

[Pertinax]

Jambo the gorilla rescued a child at Jersey Zoo:

I always try to correct this statement. Jambo did not really 'rescue' the boy. He stood near him, touched and investigated him and didn't harm him, but he was actually protecting his small family group from the strange intrusion, not as the world press stated, 'protecting the boy from the other gorillas' Right at the beginning of one version of the famous video, you can see him very briefly carrying his young son Motaba away from the 'danger' area. That was his first reaction. At the end he quickly leaves with the other gorillas when they are called inside.

 

[Pertinax]

The first 'celebrity animal' that comes to my mind is the renowned walrus Antje that lived up to the age of 27 while residing in the even more renowned (old) Eismeer in Tierpark Hagenbeck.

She was of impressive size, in particular her tusks were extraordinary large for a female walrus kept in captivity, up to a point where rumors existed stating that Antje was a male specimen, though later on these rumors were easily refuted. Yet her fame is mostly based on her media presence, since she was the mascott of the german tv broadcaster NDR during the 80's, which made her an important figure in German tv shows, books and merchandising, aswell as in the zoo with performances and shows. Unfortunately, I could never witness Antje in her lifetime, but atleast I was able to meet her in Hamburg's Zoologiscal Museum, where she is displayed and can therefore still be admired up to this day.

Hence I would consider Antje an exemplary 'Famous Zoo Animal', when you come to think of the impressive influence in German media, especially in northern Germany, aswell as the meaning Antje carries for the facility Tierpark Hagenbeck, once again underlining the celebrity status.

Aus dem Leben eines tierischen Fernsehstars

Entscheidung für ein neues Naturkundemuseum : LIB

Very few captive Walrus ever manage to keep perfect tusks like this.