Monkey Business: Cheetah dies at 80?

[Denver]

The story around the news this morning seems to be:

Cheetah the Chimp from Tarzan dies at 80

But I seem to recall from a few months back that the Cheetah reportedly still alive was not in fact the one and the same from Tarzan. And whatever chimp it was, it was not around 80 years old. Chimps simply don't seem to live that long.

Seems to me the press has been hoaxed today.

 

[Crossbow]

I have to admit, this sounds rather strange to me too since chimps do not live that long, and the NPR account says as much.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way...-one-of-tarzans-chimpanzee-sidekicks-has-died

Therefore, I wonder if there has been some sort of chimp mix-up ...

 

[DavidJames]

I suspect monkey business

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Is Boy still around?

ETA: Nope, he's dead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Sheffield

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

From Wikipedia:

Cheeta

Cheeta


Cheeta was a male chimpanzee born about 1960, formerly owned by Tony Gentry and was residing at the C.H.E.E.T.A. Primate Sanctuary (Creative Habitats and Enrichment for Endangered and Threatened Apes) in Palm Springs, California. Gentry claimed at various times that this chimpanzee was born in 1932 or later in the 1930s and succeeded Jiggs as the film Cheeta, portraying the character in most of the Johnny Weismuller and Lex Barker Tarzan films. He was alleged to have appeared in non-Tarzan films in other chimp roles as well, and based on the 1932 birthdate alleged by Gentry became celebrated as oldest living chimpanzee on reaching the supposed age of 64 in 1996 (chimpanzees typically live to be 40-45 in the wild). All of these claims were debunked in 2008 by journalist R. D. Rosen in an article that settled the animal's true age and established that he had not appeared in any movies, let alone in the role of Cheeta.[11] Cheeta died during the week of 19 December, 2011 of kidney failure [12] at the age of 51[citation needed].

 

[Crossbow]

Wow! Serious monkey business indeed.

 

[Beady]

CNN's version: "Cheetah came to the (Suncoast Primate Sancturary, Palm Harbor, FL) primate sanctuary from Weissmuller's Florida estate around 1960, Cobb told WFLA. He was the most famous of the sanctuary's 15 chimpanzees."

See also http://suncoastprimate.homestead.com/

Doesn't appear to bear any relation to the Wiki article.

 

[Denver]

Apparently they also spelled the name wrong. It is Cheeta. no H.

 

[timhau]

Darn. I was all smiles all day today, knowing that Cheetah had outlived Dear Leader.

 

[bynmdsue]

Chimpanzee and small-time actor from the early 1930s, Org has finally passed away from kidney failure on Christmas Eve at The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida. Org was born around 1930 and therefore thought to be around the age of 80 at his time of death. Org had a number of small acting roles between 1932 and 1934, though they weren’t in the Tarzan movies as has been reported.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/12/28/chimp-actor-org-passes-away-at-age-of-80-public-mourns-wrong-chimp/

 

[Clayton Moore]

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/12/28/chimp-actor-org-passes-away-at-age-of-80-public-mourns-wrong-chimp/

So the Jigg is up or down?

 

[bynmdsue]

So the Jigg is up or down?

Jiggs IV appears to be alive and well living in Palm Springs.

 

[mrgrouch]

and i always thought cheetah was female. i should have looked closer

 

[wardenclyffe]

The latest from the Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cheetah-death-fake-tarzan-chimpanzee-276704

Ward

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

and i always thought cheetah was female. i should have looked closer

...said Tarzan?