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Gargantua (gorilla)

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Gargantua was a captive lowland gorilla who became well-known because of his association with the Ringling Brothers circus. An acid scar on his face gave Gargantua a snarling, menacing expression, and the circus management attracted attention to him by emphasizing, in their publicity, his alleged hatred of humans. He was also claimed to be the largest gorilla in captivity.

Gargantua was captured as a baby in Africa, and was known as "Buddy" for years. After he was sold to Ringling Brothers, he was renamed after the literary character Gargantua for his large size (the literary Gargantua was a giant) and because the name sounded more frightening.

He had a "mate" named Toto, but apparently never showed any interest in her.[1]

The film Buddy starring Rene Russo is very loosely based on Gargantua's early life.

Early Life

Gargantua was born wild in the Belgian Congo in approximately 1929. In the early-1930s, the gorilla was given to a Captain Arthur Phillips as a gift from some missionaries in Africa. The captain was fond of him and called him "Buddy". He was kept aboard the Captain's freighter and became popular with most of the crew. One sailor, however, drunk and seeking revenge on the captain's strictness, threw nitric acid in Buddy's face. This did not kill the gorilla but it left a scar, almost blinded him and resulted in much more aggressive behaviour.

Unable to deal with this aggression, the captain gave Buddy to Gertrude Lintz, a wealthy eccentric who looked after sick animals in Brooklyn. She cared for Buddy, and other apes, as her children and even arranged for plastic surgery on the scar, leaving Buddy with a permanent sneer. However, in 1937, Buddy was frightened by thunder, broke out of his cage and climbed into bed with her for comfort. Mrs Lintz contacted John Ringling shortly thereafter.[2]

Circus

Ringling bought Buddy from Mr Lintz (for less than $10,000[3]) and renamed him "Gargantua" at his wife's suggestion. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, in finacial problems after the Great Depression, heavily advertised their newest attraction. Their extravagent claims included:

  • "The Largest Gorilla Ever Exhibited!"
  • "The World's Most Terrifying Living Creature!"
  • "The Largest and Fiercest Gorilla Ever Brought Before the Eyes of Civilised Man!"
  • "The Only Full-Grown Gorilla Ever Seen On This Continent!"

Regardless of the truth of these slogans, Gargantua attracted millions and single-handedly saved the circus.[2]

A special cage was built for Gargantua by The Crane Company. It was air-tight and air conditioned, sesigned to keep Gargantua in and the spectator's diseases out.[4]

His first public appearance was in April 1938 and was recorded by Time Magazine: Appearing as Display No. 14 on the 26-item program, Gargantua was hauled round & round the Garden in a heavily barred, thickly glassed, air-conditioned wagon drawn by six white horses. Stocky & truculent, he stared menacingly out of his cage, was characterized by Frank Buck as "the most ferocious, most terrifying and most dangerous of all living creatures."[3] Garganuta stole the show. Gargantua's supposed aggression and violence were emphasised in the Circus' publicity. For example, Time Magazine also wrote this earlier in the same year: "Gargantua the Great, wrote Gargantuan Columnist Heywood Broun three weeks ago, "is the fiercest looking thing I have ever seen on two legs. And probably his power and truculence were all the more impressive because he did look a good deal like a distant relative. No one was allowed to go close to his cage, because Gargantua can reach about five feet through the bars and get a toe hold on a visitor whom he dislikes." Gargantua may not be the world's biggest captive gorilla—since the death of Berlin Zoo's monster, many zoos have claimed that honor for their gorillas—but he is one of the most vindictive. Last week the circus' executive vice president, young John Ringling North, nephew of the late John ("Three-Ring") Ringling, was inspecting the circus' Sarasota, Fla. winter quarters. Imprudently disregarding warning signs, he leaned against the bars of Gargantua's cage to rest. Gargantua reached through, got no toe hold but wrenched Circusman North's left arm into the cage, bit & wrung it until Trainer Richard Kroner, pounding the gorilla with an iron stake, distracted its slow attention.[5]

In 1941, he was paired with another gorilla, Toto (short for Mitoto or M'Toto), who was advertised as "Mrs Gargantua". Nothing ever came of the relationship, however.

Death

Gargantua died in November 1949 of double pneumonia. His skeleton was donated to the Peabody Museum in 1950 [2][6] but is now only on display on special occasions[7].

Physical Characteristics

Sources report Gargantua's weight variously as 550-600lbs[1][2]. The seven-year old Gargantua was described as 460lbs when first displayed[3]. Lowland Gorillas usually only reach 440lbs in the wild.

References

  1. ^ a b Time Magazine, 3rd March 1941
  2. ^ a b c d The Nonist, retrieved 4th July 2007
  3. ^ a b c Time Magazine, 18th April 1938, retrievd 4th July 2007
  4. ^ History of Gargantua, retrieved 4th July 2007
  5. ^ Time Magazine, 28th February 1938, retrieved 4th July 2007
  6. ^ Yale Peabody - Vertebrate Zoology - Osteological Collections, retrieved 4th July 2007
  7. ^ New Times Live, retrieved 4th July 2007

Further reading

  • Gargantua: Circus Star of the Century by Gene Plowden (Random House, ISBN 0517136597)
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