Bronx Zoo Historic pictures of Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo may have had Mountain Gorillas for a little while a long ago (1930s? or was that San Diego? Not many ever came into captivity) and I doubt that anyone is still alive who saw them, much less someone who is also good enough to scan his old photos and upload.

Another thing is that those gorillas (which I may well be mixing with San Diego's) were young and didn't live for long, while this is an impressive adult male.
 
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The same user also has current gorilla photos from the Bronx Zoo labeled as "mountain gorillas", so I would advise a grain or two of salt.
 
To my knowledge, the Bronx Zoo never had Mountain Gorillas.
Besides, these pictures were taken in the "new" Gorilla house which opened in 1950. Certainly no Mountain Gorillas since 1950.
And yes, there are certainly people around who were there in 1950 (I am not one of them!)
 
Baldur said:
=Another thing is that those gorillas (which I may well be mixing with San Diego's) were young and didn't live for long, while this is an impressive adult male.
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I read in Lee Crandall's memoir about his time at the Bronx Zoo (A Zoo Man's Notebok, 1966), reference to San Diego's two "huge" mountain gorillas: "The San Diego Zoo's male mountain gorilla Ngagi weighed 639 pounds just before his death, and his companion Mbongo is sometimes reported as weighing 660 pounds."
 
I think the "crocodilian mix photo" is fascinating!

I'm pretty sure I can see Gharial, Cuban crocodile, Slender snouted crocodile, Specticaled caimen and American Alligator (not 100% about the two animals in the background (the one on the right I suspect is a Nile Crocodile)).

I wonder what happened in this exhibit at feeding time?
 
Dicerorhinus said:
I think the "crocodilian mix photo" is fascinating!

I'm pretty sure I can see Gharial, Cuban crocodile, Slender snouted crocodile, Specticaled caimen and American Alligator (not 100% about the two animals in the background (the one on the right I suspect is a Nile Crocodile)).

I wonder what happened in this exhibit at feeding time?
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That sent me to consult Peter Brazaitis' memoir, You Belong In A Zoo! (2003). He worked in the Reptile House for a few decades starting in the '50s and although he doesn't answer your question (as far as I could discover) he seems to indicate that the mixing of crocodilians there was not an unusual event. he also repeatedly talks of "a good old crocodile fight." :D
 
Zooplantman said:
To my knowledge, the Bronx Zoo never had Mountain Gorillas.
Besides, these pictures were taken in the "new" Gorilla house which opened in 1950. Certainly no Mountain Gorillas since 1950.
I'm pretty certain that male is 'Mambo', the Western Lowland male who replaced 11 year old Makoko after his tragic drowning in 1952(?) Mambo was still a youngster then so this must have been taken at the end of the 'fifties as he's mature in this picture.

Bronx did have 'Mountain' Gorillas at that time- well, Eastern Lowlands at any rate and in those days they were often referred to, as were San Diego's two Eastern Lowland males, as 'Mountain Gorillas.' At the Bronx, 'Mambo' lived with an older Eastern Lowland female called 'Sumaili' until they got a young male, (Pilipili) of the same race from Antwerp. After Makoko's death they 'repaired' their 4 gorillas into respective 'mountain' and Western Lowland pairs- Sumaili & Pilipili/ Mambo & Oka. There's an article about introducing Mambo & Oka together in a very old edition of 'Animal Life' magazine.

'Pilipili' didn't last very long but 'Sumaili' at least, lived to a ripe old age in that Ape House, which I've seen but unfortunately all those Gorillas were dead by then.
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Zooplantman said:
That sent me to consult Peter Brazaitis' memoir, You Belong In A Zoo! (2003). He worked in the Reptile House for a few decades starting in the '50s and although he doesn't answer your question (as far as I could discover) he seems to indicate that the mixing of crocodilians there was not an unusual event. he also repeatedly talks of "a good old crocodile fight." :D
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Haha, yeah I can believe that!!

Mixing 2 or 3 species I have heard of but never a mix like the one in this photo!
 
I just looked 'Mambo' up on 'Gorillas Galore' He was born(approx) 1950 so as he's at least 12 years old in this photo(probably older by his thickly-haired arms...) I'd say these were taken some time in the sixties, not the fifties.

Pilipili is mentioned(he died early seventies) but oddly, not 'Sumaili'- though she was a very famous resident(the grand old lady) of the Bronx in that era.
 
Zooplantman said:
"The San Diego Zoo's male mountain gorilla Ngagi weighed 639 pounds just before his death, and his companion Mbongo is sometimes reported as weighing 660 pounds."
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San Diego's two males managed to reach young adulthood. 'M'Bongo' was a fatty whereas N'Gagi was a superb muscular silverback. Mbongo died first- he contracted 'Valley Hay Fever' from spores in his hay bedding. 'N'Gagi' outlived his companion by a year or two, I can't remember his COD.
 
Zooplantman said:
That sent me to consult Peter Brazaitis' memoir, You Belong In A Zoo! (2003). He worked in the Reptile House for a few decades starting in the '50s and although he doesn't answer your question (as far as I could discover) he seems to indicate that the mixing of crocodilians there was not an unusual event. he also repeatedly talks of "a good old crocodile fight." :D
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Loved that book, man.
 
Pertinax said:
Zooplantman said:
To my knowledge, the Bronx Zoo never had Mountain Gorillas.
Besides, these pictures were taken in the "new" Gorilla house which opened in 1950. Certainly no Mountain Gorillas since 1950.
I'm pretty certain that male is 'Mambo', the Western Lowland male who replaced 11 year old Makoko after his tragic drowning in 1952(?) Mambo was still a youngster then so this must have been taken at the end of the 'fifties as he's mature in this picture.

Bronx did have 'Mountain' Gorillas at that time- well, Eastern Lowlands at any rate and in those days they were often referred to, as were San Diego's two Eastern Lowland males, as 'Mountain Gorillas.' At the Bronx, 'Mambo' lived with an older Eastern Lowland female called 'Sumaili' until they got a young male, (Pilipili) of the same race from Antwerp. After Makoko's death they 'repaired' their 4 gorillas into respective 'mountain' and Western Lowland pairs- Sumaili & Pilipili/ Mambo & Oka. There's an article about introducing Mambo & Oka together in a very old edition of 'Animal Life' magazine.

'Pilipili' didn't last very long but 'Sumaili' at least, lived to a ripe old age in that Ape House, which I've seen but unfortunately all those Gorillas were dead by then.
Click to expand...

I've got an old edition of 'Animals' magazine [which eventually morphed into 'BBC Wildlife'] with that article in. Was there one in Animal Life as well? Not being more than usually picky, but it was before I started to get 'Animal Life".
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Click to expand...
 
I think mixing up crocodiles was a common thing in the past as I remember mixed crocodile groups (with about 10 or 15 different forms) from many german zoos as Berlin, Stuttgart, Frankfurt or Duisburg...
 
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