Today, his death mask and skull survive in the collection. The chimps death shocked and saddened employees, who long had referred to the primate with the distinctive, regal bearing as the Prince of the Zoo. The top of his skull was taken off and the brain removed.
A preparator made a death mask and then Jimmy was skinned and de-fleshed. Jimmy’s body was offered to the Western Australian Museum. A post mortem revealed the cause of death to be a heart attack. Jimmy continued his smoking, often encouraged by visitors, and in May 1968 he passed away at only 16 years of age. Today many contributors to the zoo’s Facebook page still remember Jimmy fondly. Here he had his own ‘birdcage’ enclosure and was the centre of attention. The story that Jimmy was actually Tarzan’s Cheetah was widely believed, and Jimmy was also an eccentric in his own way – smoking, drinking and flirting.īeing a failure in the breeding stakes, Jimmy was transferred to Perth Zoo in 1962. The zoo hoped he would contribute to its breeding program, but Jimmy was highly socialised and was not interested in mating. Jimmy spent three years at Taronga Park Zoo from 1959 to 1962. Residents were said to be ‘baffled’ by Calvert’s magic.
Smoking chimpanzee free#
When billed for his laundry, he quipped that he might have to marry the washerwoman.Īlthough something of a rogue, Calvert endeared himself to Darwin people by also putting on a free show at the Channel Island Leprosarium. The stunt was a great hit and people flocked to see Calvert’s magic shows at the Town Hall.ĭespite this apparent success, Calvert was feeling the pinch. Undeterred, Calvert implemented a contingency plan – he drove a car blind-folded around Darwin streets. The zoo was delighted to receive a young male chimpanzee.Ĭalvert had already put around the story that Jimmy was Tarzan’s Cheetah (not true!) and now his star attraction was confined to ship. Unfortunately, Jimmy could not come ashore as quarantine officers warned that he would be put down.Ĭalvert could see that this was going to be an ongoing problem in Australia and so he arranged with Taronga Park Zoo to take Jimmy when they arrived in Sydney. Jimmy, Calvert, and the Sea Fox’s entourage arrived in Darwin early in June 1959.
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