WILD ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY 



THE GORILLA AT THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



It may seem strange that, considering that the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens have been established over sixty years, no 

 specimen of the gorilla has hitherto been received or ex- 

 hibited in their vast collection. From time to time within 

 the last twenty years examples of this remarkable animal 

 have reached Europe; they have been but few — perhaps 

 not more than five or six — but, owing to their poor con- 

 dition or the exorbitant price asked for them, the Society 

 never felt disposed to purchase any of them. One or two 

 only of those that have been imported have lived more 

 than a few weeks. Under these circumstances, it has 

 always been considered a very risky speculation to pur- 

 chase an animal whose life was so likely to prove a short 

 one. 



The individual, now exhibited for the first time in the 

 Gardens, arrived on Monday, October 10, having been 

 landed on the previous Friday at Liverpool, Mr. Cross, 

 the well-known animal dealer, being the purchaser. LIr. 

 Cross lost no time in transferring the animal from Liver- 

 pool to the residence of the well-known chimpanzee 

 " Sally." On arrival the poor beast appeared to be com- 

 pletely exhausted, and almost lifeless; no doubt partly 

 from exposure to the cold and the shaking and noise of the 

 railway journey. In this condition no one could be expected 

 to offer to purchase the animal ; in fact, the owner, Mr. 

 Cross, could not ask any one to take it, however low the 

 price he might ask ; all he asked was that it might be 

 attended to, and that whatever could be done to save it 

 should be done. After a day or two's careful attention 

 it began to revive, and the first food that tempted it was 

 grapes. A variety of fine fruit was then placed at its 



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