At+the+Zoo



The Western Lowland Gorilla Exhibit at the Milwaukee County Zoo

Zoo gorilla profiles

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 (Photo by Guy Dayen - July 28th 2008)

Gorilla Sounds

Many times, zoo visitors can only see gorillas behind glass, and they can't hear what goes on behind the glass. Ever wonder what gorillas sound like ? Listen to the samples below to find out: media type="file" key="Lowland gorilla.mov" width="232" height="58" - - - media type="file" key="gorilla snarls.mov" width="183" height="57" - - - media type="file" key="gorilla beating chest.mov" width="241" height="60" - - Gorilla family arguing over a coconut  - - - - - - - - - - - Gorilla snarls - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Gorilla beating his chest  -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Sounds provided courtesy of the JungkeWalk web site. (http://www.junglewalk.com/sound/gorilla-sounds.htm)

Samson - Badder than ol' King Kong

Back in 1981, the Milwaukee County Zoo lost its most famous resident, a male gorilla named Samson. Over the course of three decades in Milwaukee, Samson became very popular with young and old. Samson appeared very frequently on local television and in publications as diverse as International Wildlife and the National Enquirer. Samson was often featured in zoo merchandise and in June of 1981, just months before his death, he was even featured on a local bus pass. He was truly the zoo's biggest star.

Samson was born in 1949, and first came to Milwaukee in 1950, along with another young gorilla named Sambo, and was housed at the Washington Park Zoo. The two young gorillas, barely a year old at the time, were purchased from a New York firm, with funds provided by the Pabst Brewing Company. The two gorillas came what from was then the French Cameroons in West Africa. When they arrived in Milwaukee, Sambo weighed fifteen pounds, while Samson weighed just over twelve pounds and was thought to be a bit younger than Sambo.

Sadly, Sambo died on November 2nd, 1959 from a respiratory infection that zoo vets believed was caused by a virus, just a month after being moved to the new zoo location on Blue Mound Road. Later, evidence of tuberculosis was found. Sambo was roughly 10 years old at the time of his death. The Milwaukee Public Museum acquired his remains so they could be prepared for exhibition.

After Sambo's death, Samson lived alone for fifteen years, until 1975,when a 16 year old female named Terra was introduced. The two gorillas lived together for more than 4 years, but they never mated. Zookeepers believed that Samson's inability to mate was a result of his many years imprinting on humans rather than other gorillas. Eventually, Terra was moved to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo (where she became pregnant) and Samson was left alone yet again.

Samson grew to be a truly imposing silverback, and a formidable presence. By the time he was in his early twenties, he tipped the scales at 652 pounds. This means he weighed over two hundred pounds more than the average gorilla male. One reason for this was that Samson was larger-boned than average; the other was that Samson was quite an over-eater. In fact, he was put on a strict diet in his last decade.

One very noticeable habit of Samson's was banging ferociously on the windows and steel door of his enclosure. This noisy behavior was a way of asserting his power, in this case his power to get visitors' attention. Although Samson became accustomed to the public, he was often aroused by unfamiliar things like large hats or brightly colored clothing. These outbursts were impressive AND scary. In fact, during his 32 years in Milwaukee, the strong Samson cracked the viewing window to his enclosure on four separate occasions. It must have been an awesome sight to see him at those moments.

Another Samson trademark was his famous stare. He would fix his gaze upon a visitor, and just scowl and glower unblinkingly. It wasn't long until the selected zoo patron would start to feel very uncomfortable, and would suddenly find another part of the exhibit fascinating.

When he was around 32 years old, Samson died suddenly on November 27th, 1981 from a massive heart attack. An autopsy revealed that Samson had five previous heart attacks that had gone undetected. Unfortunately, his great weight added a lot of strain to Samson's heart, and even though he was put on a strict diet later in life, it was too late to undo the damage done and his final heart attack proved to be fatal.

Almost thirty years after his death, Samson is still missed by the residents of Milwaukee, and by none more so than Sam La Malfa, who was the zookeeper who took care of him for a very long time. The two grew to be close, and Mr. La Malfa always said that Samson was a great friend. Today's visitors to the Milwaukee County Zoo can see a bust of Samson and a plaque dedicated to his memory. The giant silverback will always be a part of the Zoo, and a legendary part of Milwaukee's rich history.

//Sources:// - Exhibit information from the Milwaukee County Zoo - Milwaukee County Zoo online timeline ([|http://www.milwaukeezoo.org/about/timeline/)] - "//Samson Remembered//" web site - Milwaukee County Museum ([|http://www.mpm.edu/exhibitions/special/samson/index.php)]


 * Note: All Samson pictures courtesy of the Milwaukee Public Museum.


 * A Gorilla Time-out??**

A sign on the windows of the indoor exhibit states that the gorillas may be off exhibit at certain times for "behavioral enrichment". Listen to zoo volunteer Grandma Peggy's explanation for this.

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To find out more about this exhibit, or others at the zoo, please visit their web site at  [|The Milwaukee County Zoo]



 (Photo by Guy Dayen - July 30th 2008)