Natural History Museum Guy the Gorilla back on display

Ironically, 'Guy' wasn't very normal sexually, having been imprinted on humans at an early age, and so he never bred.

I don't remember the public objection to him being stuffed but no doubt there was one..;)
 
No, I wasn't happy about Guy and indeed Chi Chi being stuffed and exhibited at the Natural History Museum, it must be remembered that both of them were much loved national celebrities, I have never been to the Natural History Museum to this day, the reason being to see them both there would be to upsetting , I recently discussed this with a volunteer at Edinburgh, a wise well spoken lady who agreed with me, just remember them as they were she said. However I suppose in years to come visitors to the museum will not know who Guy and Chi Chi were, they'll just be seen as examples of a stuffed lowland gorilla and giant panda. I recall a certain amount of controversy surrounding Chi Chi being displayed at the museum, in the Daily Express , Jean Rook, "the first lady of Fleet Street" commented "Chi Chi has been on the shelf all her life, and that is where she is now destined to remain". I suppose the same could also be said about Guy.
 
I believe the famous 'Jambo' at Jersey Zoo was also stuffed- I was very surprised Jersey would allow this, but I believe he is lurking somewhere in the recesses of Edinburgh Museum, though has never(?)been on display. I've never been able to confirm if either or both facts (1. he was stuffed. 2 is at Edinburgh) is really true though.

Edinburgh definately have some of their previous Orangutans from the zoo in their museum, and Bristol have both Gorilla(Alfred) and Orangutans from the zoo in theirs.
 
Why would people be offended at them being on display in a museum after their death if they were not offended at them being on display in a zoo while they were alive?
 
Its a tough one to call, zoo keepers deal with things in different ways, In the past I have been present at the euthanasia, and post mortem of favourite animals, I think I would take comfort in seeing them again in a museum, rather being unceremoniously dumped into yellow bags for incineration, when you work with livestock you get dead stock, its inevitable, regardless of how popular the animal is with staff, media and guests.

Its like going to Madame Tussuards and not looking at the celebrities that have passed away, its a likeness, ok made from the skin of a beloved animal perhaps, but it can't erase the happy memories you have of that animal, in fact it may promote many more when you relive the good times
 
Just wanted to register my agreement with AD and easytigger. I don't see a problem at all.
 
Maguari said:
Just wanted to register my agreement with AD and easytigger. I don't see a problem at all.
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Agreed.

There are many ex-zoo animals in museums; great apes, giant pandas, hippos, quaggas, thylacines.....

I cannot see anything wrong with it; indeed, for animals such as thylacines and quaggas then surely it would have been an appalling waste not to have preserved these interesting specimens for posterity.
 
Zoo animals in museums.

In the past quite a lot of Zoo animals have found their way after their death into Museums. As mentioned above, this was particularly fortunate with some extinct species such as Quaggas and Thylacines in order to have a continuing record of them.

This seems uncommon nowdays but does anyone know of any animals from their local UK zoo that have gone on to Museums in more recent times?
 
Pertinax said:
In the past quite a lot of Zoo animals have found their way after their death into Museums. As mentioned above, this was particularly fortunate with some extinct species such as Quaggas and Thylacines in order to have a continuing record of them.

This seems uncommon nowdays but does anyone know of any animals from their local UK zoo that have gone on to Museums in more recent times?
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The last that I know of from Chester is Motty, I think s/he went to the Natural History Museum, but I'm not sure. Also, more animals may have followed, but again I wouldn't know what or where if they did.
 
I think it can be really interesting when animals in the past have been stuffed - for example, I saw on TV a while ago an exhibit of pedigree dogs in a museum somewhere, and it was amazing seeing how different they were to the pedigree dogs of today. This is probably because pedigree breeding has exaggerated the features over time, but it would be fascinating to see how things are changing naturally over the years.

As for the sentimental value of individual specimens, I can't see it being much different from when people have their pets stuffed (except for size obviously)
 
AgileGibbon said:
I think it can be really interesting when animals in the past have been stuffed - for example, I saw on TV a while ago an exhibit of pedigree dogs in a museum somewhere, and it was amazing seeing how different they were to the pedigree dogs of today.
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Almost certainly the collection held at the Natural History Museum in Tring. At least some of the other animals were probably ex pet and zoo animals of Walter Rothschild's too.
 
Yes , the dogs are at Tring and are a fascinating exhibition including some famous Champion racing greyhounds and other prize specimens . Some are not that old and the details given about their history and breeding is very interesting . Wonder if any owners have ever visited to see their ex-pets .
 
Bele said:
Yes , the dogs are at Tring and are a fascinating exhibition including some famous Champion racing greyhounds and other prize specimens . Some are not that old and the details given about their history and breeding is very interesting . Wonder if any owners have ever visited to see their ex-pets .
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I've seen that Dog Breeds collection a number of times, the last being just a few months ago. A lot of them seem to date from the period 1900-1950 but as you said, some are more recent. Many of them certainly lack the extreme characteristics that modern breeding for the Show Ring has bred into them. On the whole its very noticeable how the breeds were coarser and more sturdily built back then.

From memory I think one champion greyhound there is 'Mick the Miller' ?

Some of Tring's other animals came from Walter Rothschild's collection or from 'white hunters'. I believe Rothschild bought the Quagga as a mounted specimen from somewhere? Despite it being so close I've never noticed anything from Whipsnade there- or London Zoo either but I expect some animals are.
 
Pertinax said:
I believe Rothschild bought the Quagga as a mounted specimen from somewhere?
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Yes, Lord Walter Rothschild purchased the Tring Museum quagga, already mounted, from a taxidermist, named Frank, who was based in Amsterdam.

Although the original provenance of this specimen is not known for certain, it has been suggested that the Tring Museum quagga is probably one of the quaggas from the Knowsley Menagerie.

After Lord Stanely, Earl of Derby, died in 1851 some of the animals in the Knowsley Menagerie were sold at auction; a female quagga was purchased by Artis (Amsterdam) Zoo. When this quagga eventually died in Amsterdam, its skin was mounted for the Amsterdam Zoology Museum.

The last quagga ever died at Amsterdam Zoo on 12th August 1883; it too was stuffed for the Amsterdam Zoology Museum. It was decided that the museum did not need two stuffed quaggas, so the earlier specimen (i.e. the ex-Knowsley animal) was sold to the taxidermist Frank and the Amsterdam museum retained the specimen that died in 1883.

I don’t think that there is any definite proof that the mounted quagga that Rothschild purchased from Frank, was the same specimen that Frank acquired from the Amsterdam Zoology Museum (i.e. the ex-Knowsley animal) but it seems unlikely that Frank had two different specimens of the extinct quagga.

Pertinax said:
Despite it being so close I've never noticed anything from Whipsnade there- or London Zoo either but I expect some animals are.
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I believe that the Komodo “dragon” at Tring is one of the London Zoo animals from the 1930s.
 
This is an interesting subject. Apes are so close to humans that it brings on the subject of displaying human remains. Copito de Nieve the albino gorilla at Barcelona Zoo was not stuffed. Instead the zoo has a statue of him. I remember that during the barcelona Olympics it was discovered that a african human male was actually stuffed in a museum at Banyoles, spain. it was an ancient remain from the colonial period. It was cremated quickly. We in so called modern cultures find it distubing when the distinction between man and animals is blurred. Many native people of the world however understand that the line that separates human and animal is not always so clear.
 
Firstly, I would like to make it clear that I am not criticising London zoo regarding Guy Chi Chi's taxidermy, I have far to much respect for the society than to do that, anyway, you have only to look at Tim's statue of Guy to see what they thought of him, I realise that some people will think I am being over sentimental over this and I appreciate Their views, however I can't help the way I feel as I owe allot to Guy, Chi Chi, Goldie, Pipuluck et alia for initially instilling in me a great respect for animals and also good zoos, Regents Park in particular where I still get the same pleasure from visiting today as what Igot when I was a small child, anyway enough of the past, how's Kesho getting on?
 
TARZAN said:
anyway enough of the past, how's Kesho getting on?
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With all due respect, this is a Natural History Museum thread for discussion of the reappearance of Guy the gorilla; there are plenty of London threads for discussing the current gorillas there.


I haven't been to the NHM in years; I'd be quite tempted to call in on such a famous zoo animal though.
 
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