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Hollywood Zoo: Celebrity Animals

MrRING

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Who knew the little guy would outlive most of his co-stars? Whatta guy!

Tarzan's Cheeta's Life as a Retired Movie Star

Many Hollywood stars retire in the oasis of Palm Springs, California where they wile away their golden years splashing paint on canvases, taking leisurely strolls, playing the piano, and flipping through the pages of magazines.

Such is the life of 71-year-old Cheeta, the chimpanzee of Tarzan fame who celebrated his birthday a month ago.

"He's the world's oldest chimp and in excellent condition," said Dan Westfall, who cares for Cheeta and several other retired showbiz primates at the Cheeta Primate Foundation in Palm Springs. Cheeta's "world's oldest" title is noted in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Chimpanzees in the wild tend to live for 40 to 45 years and to the mid 50s in captivity, according to chimpanzee researchers.

Activists for the proper care and treatment of chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates applaud Cheeta's age record, but caution against celebrating the lifestyle of chimpanzees that were stars in the entertainment industry.

"Would you go to a movie if you knew the child actors had been kidnapped and been forced through abuse by their kidnappers to perform silly, demeaning acts?" asks Roger Fouts, co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Activists say that retired entertainment chimpanzees engage in human behaviors such as watching television and reading magazines because they were deprived of a natural lifestyle and were instead trained to behave like humans, often through physical abuse.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that they are pretty dysfunctional," said Gloria Grow, co-founder of the Fauna Foundation which cares for neglected and abused animals in Quebec, Canada.

For example, Grow said that several of the chimpanzees in her foundation's care, including those that were in the entertainment industry, do not know how to have intercourse or how to look after their young.

"It is common scientific knowledge that taking mothers from babies has very serious consequences for the psychological well-being of both the mother and the infant, yet this is what happens to every trained chimpanzee," said Fouts.

The Good Life?

Abe Karajerjian, a biological anthropologist who works with Westfall in the caretaking of the animals at the Cheeta Primate Foundation, says Cheeta and his companions are provided with an environment and social structure that is more suitable to their species rather than perpetuating their human-like lifestyles and behaviors.

"We just love them and love to do things for them," he said. "They made tons of people happy, they had to endure a lot to make people happy, and we want to give back to them, provide them with friends."

Westfall, a comedian and actor, adopted Cheeta about 10 years ago from his uncle Tony Gentry, an animal trainer who worked in Hollywood and discovered Cheeta while on an animal talent scouting trip to Africa in the 1930s.

The 4 foot (1.2 meter) tall, 142 pound (64 kilogram) chimpanzee starred in 12 Tarzan movies and had his last role 36 years ago in the 1967 musical film Doctor Doolittle.

Cheeta now spends his days socializing with other apes and human caregivers. At times he seems fascinated by looking at other animals on television and in the pages of magazines like National Geographic, said Karajerjian

On a few occasions the media has spotted Cheeta taking a ride in the car with Westfall, who said that Cheeta "likes to go through the drive-thru and get a hamburger and a Coke." Cheeta's staple diet consists of fresh fruit, vegetables, and monkey chow, which is a nonhuman-primate version of dog food.

In his earlier years Cheeta had a penchant for beer and cigars, reportedly drinking several cold ones a day. Westfall and Karajerjian said booze and smoke have not been a part of the old chimp's life since he came into their care ten years ago.

"Where he lives now nobody smokes and drinks," said Karajerjian. "I hate smoking and drinking and so why would I offer it to apes?"

At the sanctuary the apes are provided with a variety of activities to stimulate their intellect and curiosity. One of the activities is painting, which Karajerjian says allows chimpanzees to mimic their innate behavior of inventing and using tools.

Westfall says that Cheeta has developed a particular talent as an abstract artist and has trademarked Cheeta's creations as "Ape-stract." Cheeta uses a paintbrush and bright colors for his creations which are full of sweeps, swirls, and straight lines.

"They are very pretty, actually," said Westfall, who sells his companion's work for $125 a piece. The proceeds go to support the Cheeta Primate Foundation, which Westfall started to raise money for unwanted showbiz animals.

Entertainment Abuse

Cheeta is a rarity among chimpanzee actors in that he was used for films into his 30s. "Most of the chimpanzees used in the entertainment industry are used when they are quite young," said Rick Bogle of the Primate Freedom Project in Santa Barbara, California. The organization works for the protection of nonhuman primates.

Chimpanzees rarely act beyond the age of ten because they become less manageable and less willing to follow directions, said Bogle. When the chimpanzees are retired, many of them are sold into biomedical research.

Gentry, Cheeta's previous owner, feared a research laboratory was Cheeta's destination so he had asked in his will that Cheeta be put to rest. Westfall talked his uncle out of having Cheeta put to rest by promising to take good care of the chimp.

Ex-entertainment chimpanzees are unfit for zoos, said Fouts, because they do not behave like regular chimpanzees. "And often times they are not socialized to other chimpanzees so they would be difficult to integrate into a social population," he said.

Westfall said primate researcher Jane Goodall inspired him to start the foundation for unwanted showbiz primates. The other chimpanzees, orangutans, and monkeys in his care have starred in television commercials, nightclubs, and theaters, but none reached the star status of Cheeta.

"There are also some from labs that we'd love to get sometime to save their lives and give them a good, healthy home to live in," he said.

All of the animals in Westfall's care interact on a daily basis and with each other and their human caregivers. Westfall's house is not open to the public, but tour buses and children often stop in front where there is a statue of Cheeta.

Living Longer

Terry Wolf, wildlife director at Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida, which cares for about 35 chimpanzees, said that captive chimpanzees that were picked up from the entertainment industry and research facilities are living longer because humans are taking better care of them.

"The quality of health care and diet in the past was traditionally not all that great," he said. Now humans have a better understanding of chimpanzee dietary, physical, and social needs, including the need for interaction to prevent the onset of deadly bouts of depression.

Little Mama, a chimpanzee who starred in a traveling ice skating show before coming to Lion Country Safari in 1967, is thought to be 65 years old and like Cheeta is in good health. She is social and gets along well with her mates, with whom she lives on a series of islands in the drive-through zoo, said Wolf.

"Old age is something to be celebrated," said Virginia Landau, director of the Jane Goodall Institute's ChimpanZoo in Tucson, Arizona, which coordinates the study of chimpanzees in zoos and other captive settings.

Donations or a request for a piece of Cheeta's Ape-stract art can be sent to Westfall:

Dan Westfall
Cheeta Primate Foundation
PO Box 8162
Palm Springs, CA 92263


ABOVE ARTICLE HERE

You can also SEE SOME OF HIS ART HERE
 
I wonder if we should retitle this thread "Hollywood Zoo: Celebrity Animals"? Just found out about Rin Tin Tin's amazing story!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rin_Tin_Tin
Rin Tin Tin (often billed as Rin-Tin-Tin in the 1920s and 1930s) was the name given to several German Shepherds of film and television.

The first of the line (c. September 5, 1918 – August 10, 1932) was a shell-shocked pup found by American serviceman Lee Duncan in a bombed-out dog kennel in Lorraine, France less than two months before the end of World War I. Named for a puppet called Rintintin that French children gave to the American soldiers for good luck, at war's end Duncan took the dog back to his home in Los Angeles, California.

Nicknamed "Rinty" by his owner, the dog was taught tricks and could leap more than 13 feet. He was seen performing at a dog show by film producer Darryl F. Zanuck, who paid Lee Duncan to film him. Duncan became convinced that Rin Tin Tin could become the next Strongheart. The dog's big break came when he stepped in for a recalcitrant wolf in The Man From Hell's River (1922). Rin Tin Tin would be cast as a wolf or wolf-hybrid many times in his career, despite looking little to nothing like one. His first starring role, 1923's Where the North Begins, was a huge success often credited with saving Warner Brothers from bankruptcy. It was followed by Shadows of the North (1923), Clash of the Wolves (1925), A Dog of the Regiment (1927), Tiger Rose (1929), and The Lightning Warrior (1931). The dog also had his own radio show in 1930 called The Wonder Dog, on which he did his own sound effects.

True to his French birthright, to the sounds of classical music being played, the dog dined each day on a choice cut of tenderloin steak specially prepared by a private chef.

Following Rin Tin Tin's death in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, (in the arms of actress Jean Harlow, according to Hollywood legend) his owner arranged to have the dog returned to his country of birth for burial in the Cimetière des Chiens, the renowned pet cemetery in the Parisian suburb of Asnières-sur-Seine.
 
Roy Roger's horse Trigger was an interesting actor who came to a strange end:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1022326/
Roy Rogers had several "Triggers" over the years. When the last of the line died in 1965 its hide was stretched over a frame and placed in Rogers and Dale Evans' museum in Victorville, California. After an investigation revealed that Trigger's meat had been sold to several small eateries in the South West, contrary to the The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954, butcher John L. Jones was sentenced to five years in prison.

The Rogers also stuffed and mounted Bullet the wonder dog and Buttermilk, Dale Evan's horse. And they are all still "on display".

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/pet/trigger.html
Trigger, Roy Rogers' Horse
Died 1965 - Victorville, California

The Roy Rogers/Dale Evans Museum gets 200,000 visitors a year. Most come to see Trigger, Roy's dead horse. Roy Rogers, Jr., who manages the museum, says "We close at five and stop selling tickets at 4:30. But people come after that and beg to get in for a few minutes. They drove 3,000 miles just to see Trigger. We let them in -- and they go away, happy.

While Roy Rogers, Sr. won't be coming by in his golf cart to pose in the lobby any more (he died in 1998), Trigger still has star power. Outside, a 24-foot-tall fiberglass Trigger, reared on his hind legs, lets visitors know that they have arrived.

Trigger was ridden by Rogers in every one of his motion pictures, finding his own fame in the process. After Trigger died at age 33, his hide was stretched over a plaster likeness and put on display, also reared on two legs, inside the museum. He is mounted, then, not stuffed. Remember this when you speak to museum personnel, who will loudly correct you if you get it wrong.

Trigger is not alone; Buttermilk (Dale Evans' horse) and Bullet (the Rogers' German Shepherd) are mounted alongside. But these lesser lights are given only cursory glances by visitors, attracting about as much attention as the Roy Rogers fishing trophy or Grand Marshall saddle. People linger over Trigger, studying, pointing.
 
He could not be smark if his favorite food was cornbread. Cornbread is not good to eat.

(cornbread stuffing is nice, tho`)

This is just the sort of junk my Fathers wife would love. (dawg, not cornpone...)
 
A great little site on real (and a few cartoon) Hollywood lions:

http://petcaretips.net/famous_lions_tv.html

Including:
Leo the Lion

The MGM lion mascot seen at the beginning of every MGM feature
film. Leo first roared July 31, 1928 for the debut of the movie White
Shadows of the South Seas. The roar was heard via a phonograph record
since it was a silent movie. The MGM lion logo was created in 1916 for the
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation by advertising executive Howard
Dietz.

The logo was based on the Columbia University fight song Roar,
Lion, Roar.

In 1924, when Goldwyn merged with Metro and Louis B. Mayer, the
lion logo became the trademark for the new company. Over the years a
number of lions have portrayed Leo including Slats, Jackie and Tanner.

And
Clarence The Cross Eyed Lion

Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion was a silly looking lion seen on the
adventure series Daktari, from 1966-69. Clarence lived at the
Wameru Study Center for Animal Behavior in East Africa run by Dr.
Marsh Tracy and his daughter/assistant Paula Tracy.

Clarence the lion and Judy the Chimpanzee were their two pets. Judy loved to climb onto the back of Clarence and grab a free ride. Clarence's temperament was so mild that he once "hatched" 12 ostrich chicks in one episode.

Ivan Tors first discovered Clarence at Africa, USA, an affection
training compound located in Soledad Canyon near Los Angeles.
Born cross-eyed, Clarence's strange physical condition inspired
Ivan Tors to create the MGM feature film Clarence the Cross-Eyed
Lion (1965) and the spin-off series Daktari. When the audience
saw what Clarence saw, it was in double vision. Reportedly,
Clarence was very good with children. Another not so friendly
lion named Leo doubled for Clarence in some scenes. He was used
only for the snarling scenes and general scenes which didn't
involve close proximity with humans. Leo had come to Africa USA
from a family in Utah. His ferocity was due in part to the
mistreatment he received from former owners who reportedly beat
him with a stick.

A bit more about Leo here:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/pet/leo.html

And here:

http://www.animalfair.com/petpourri/archive_leolion.html
Hollywood's premier animal trainer Volney Phifer never thought that he would become inseparable with the cub he found in Port Sudan, Africa. Leo, the MGM lion, that led an amazing life was the straggliest lion Phifer had ever laid eyes on.

"Leo never let me down," said Phifer.

While touring the globe for MGM studios, Leo earned a reputation of being a cat with nine lives: he survived two train wrecks, a flood in Mississippi, an earthquake in California, a fire and a plane crash.
 
What about Lassie?
The first dog to play the role of Lassie was Pal, owned by animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and his brother Frank Weatherwax. Before Pal's death, he was bred with a number of bitches, resulting in hundreds of offspring, several of which have performed under the name Lassie. Most have been male, because their coats are usually fuller and more impressive than for the bitches. Because the males tend to be larger, they are considered more physically suitable to perform many of Lassie's stunts. As is usually the case with canine film stars, several uncredited doubles have been employed in the films and TV shows. Director-screenwriter Charles Sturridge has been attached to a film based on Knight's novel, planned for a 2006 release. Rudd Weatherwax died in 1985, and his son, Bob Weatherwax, has been handling the Lassie star collies in the years since then.

But get this:
The dog was so popular that it is one of only three dogs awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the others being Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart.

But just who was Strongheart? I certainly hadn't heard of him... but he apparently died for his craft!
Strongheart was the screen name of Etzel von Oeringen (October 1, 1917-June 24, 1929), a German shepherd that became one of the earliest canine film stars. After being trained in Germany as a police dog, he was brought to the United States by husband-and-wife film-makers Laurence Trimble and Jane Murfin. He appeared in several movies, including a 1925 adaptation of White Fang. Some of these pictures were highly successful, and did much to encourage the popularity of the breed, but most have been lost. A popular celebrity in his day, Strongheart paved the way for the much better remembered Rin Tin Tin. Strongheart and his mate Lady Jule had many offspring and their line survives to this day. In 1929 while filming a movie Strongheart accidentally fell against hot studio lights and was burned. These burns caused a tumor to form and Strongheart died as a result of it.
 
LINK
'Tarzan's' Cheeta turns 74

PALM SPRINGS, Calif., April 11 (UPI) -- It was all monkey business at the 74th birthday bash at a Palm Springs, Calif., animal sanctuary for Cheeta, the co-star of 12 "Tarzan" flicks.

Cheeta was not only the primary primate in the "Tarzan" film franchise of the 1930s and 1940s, but is also cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest chimp, the Palm Springs Desert Sun reported.

As for the fare at Sunday's celebration, Cheeta's keeper Dan Westfall said his famous charge goes ape over every kind of cuisine.

"Oh, he likes anything, as long as there's a lot of it," Westfall told the newspaper.

Cheeta is living out his golden years at the CHEETA, Creative Habitats and Enrichment for Endangered and Threatened Apes, Primate Sanctuary.
 
I've just watched a lighthearted documentary on BBC Four that said the claim that Cheeta had lived into his seventies was a hoax, and that the chimp concerned had never even appeared in a film! I feel cheated (ha!), and Wikipedia backs up this information too.
 
A curious video on the death (or deaths) of Cheeta/Cheetas that may be of interest to those who follow such things...

 
The Lone Ranger's Silver has an actual burial spot, and his real name was White Cloud.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14612172/silver

Silver - Original Name White Cloud

Birth 1937

Death 1959 (aged 21–22)

Burial: Hudkins Brothers Ranch Burial Site - North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, USA

Equine Actor. He starred as Silver in "The Lone Ranger" Television Series from 1949 to 1954, and was thought to be one of the most popular horses of all the western heroes. The first horse to portray Silver, his true name was White Cloud. An impressive 17+ hands tall, he was known to be very gentle and well trained. He was retired after a brief stand-in appearance in the 1956 movie, "The Lone Ranger", and was only used for close ups and head shots thereafter.

In 1957, Silver won the Award for Excellence (Patsy). He lived out his days at the Ace Hudkin's stables in southern California.

A bit more here, which shows that he wasn't the only Silver who was Silver at the time (not unusual for film equines):
http://www.ranger.riverviewparkdsm.com/silver.htm
 
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