THE TRUE MENTAL STATUS OF THE GORILLA 



THE true mental status of the gorilla was discovered in 

 1919 and 1920, at 15 Sloane Street, London, by Major 

 Rupert Penny, of the Royal Air Service, and his young 

 relative, Miss Alyse Cunningham. Prior to that time, through 

 various combinations of retarding circumstances, no living 

 gorilla had ever been placed and kept in an environment calcu- 

 lated to develop and display the real mental calibre of the gorilla 

 mind. It seems that an exhibition cage, in a zoological park 

 or garden thronged with visitors, actually tends to the suppres- 

 sion, or even the complete extinguishment, of true gorilla 

 character. The atmosphere of the footlights and the stage in 

 which the chimpanzee delights and thrives is to the gorilla 

 repulsive and unbearable. 



Judging by Major Penny's "John," the gorilla wishes to live 

 in a high-class human family, in a modern house, and be treated 

 like a human being! It is now definitely recognized by us, and 

 also by our colleagues in the London Zoological Gardens, that 

 gorillas can not live long and thrive on public exhibition, before 

 great crowds of people, and that it is folly to insist upon trying 

 to compel them to do so. The male individual that lived several 

 years in the Breslau Zoological Garden and attained the age of 

 seven years was a striking exception. 



We have had two gorillas at our Park, one of which, a female 

 named Dinah, arrived in good health, and lived with us eleven 

 and one-half months. Her mind was dull and hopelessly 

 unresponsive. She learned next to nothing, and she did 

 nothing really interesting. Other captive gorillas I have known 



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