Tarzan's chimp Cheetah dies aged 80

Celticfire · 28-12-2011 03:16PM #1

Cheetah the chimpanzee from the Tarzan movies of the 1930s has died at the age of 80.

The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbour, Florida, announced on its website that Cheetah died on December 24 of kidney failure.

Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb told The Tampa Tribune that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She said he seemed to be tuned into human feelings.

Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan series starring American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller.

Ms Cobb said Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate sometime around 1960.

Ms Cobb said Cheetah was not a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest said when the chimp did not like what was going on, he would throw faeces.

Holy crap... 80yo chimp.... never had an idead they could live so long.

RIP little monkey..

Run_to_da_hills · 28-12-2011 03:19PM

RIP and condolences to his family

My name is URL · 28-12-2011 03:20PM

Pray for Mojo

44leto · 28-12-2011 03:23PM

I wonder what he died of.

80 years I never thought any of our simian cousins had that long of a lifespan.

Wertz · 28-12-2011 03:27PM

Not a monkey.

80's some age for a chimp. Doubt they'd live that long in the wild. Many humans won't see that age.

Biggins · 28-12-2011 03:29PM

Just think, that monkey outlived many a dictator, film (inc Tarzan and Jane) and music stars along the way, as well as many others!

Maybe he and they in their own way, are sometimes more lucky than humans!

MagicMarker · 28-12-2011 03:30PM

Apparently the average life span in the wild for a chimp is 45 years. :eek:

ejmaztec · 28-12-2011 03:35PM

Biggins wrote: »

Just think, that monkey outlived many a dictator, film (inc Tarzan and Jane) and music stars along the way, as well as many others!

Maybe he and they in their own way, are sometimes more lucky than humans!

Apart from spending 99% of his life behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.:(

mattjack · 28-12-2011 03:41PM

What a month , first Kim Jong-iL ,now Cheetah...can it get any worse ?

ScumLord · 28-12-2011 03:43PM

Celticfire wrote: »

RIP little monkey..

Monkey? That's a terrible insult to give this primate on his death bed, you should be ashamed sir.

Biggins · 28-12-2011 03:45PM

ejmaztec wrote: »

Apart from spending 99% of his life behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.:(

He should have contacted the A-Team!

Dravokivich · 28-12-2011 03:48PM

Ah, he was no Clyde.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHeRaAy3cWQ

:cool:

ejmaztec · 28-12-2011 03:49PM

Biggins wrote: »

He should have contacted the A-Team!

He tried but it got lost in translation.:(

galwayrush · 28-12-2011 03:49PM

MagicMarker wrote: »

Apparently the average life span in the wild for a chimp is 45 years. :eek:

So he cheetahed death for 35 years....:D

PseudoFamous · 28-12-2011 03:53PM

I'm usually surprised when I hear an animal is older than 20. That's a seriously long life.

Plazaman · 28-12-2011 03:55PM

44leto wrote: »

I wonder what he died of.

Rumour has it he turned to hard drugs in his teens as he couldn't handle the filmstar lifestyle. Despite many attempts to get him into rehab, he continued to drink heavily and go to swinging parties. His gambling addiction only compounded his problems and he was thrown out of the 1952 World Poker Finals for having a fifth ace. Branded a cheetah, the name stuck and he went into hiding near Sierra Nevada where he took to script writing for US Sitcoms. He sobered up and lived on the straight and narrow but when his 5th wife Jenna (a bolivian orangutan) died in 2004 he went back to his old ways and his extravagant tastes for vintage vines were well known. There was $8.68c and 2 bananas in his bank account at time of his death. SIP.

ejmaztec · 28-12-2011 04:00PM

Was he the one on the drums, or was that Micky D?

Stiffler2 · 28-12-2011 04:02PM

44leto wrote: »

I wonder what he died of.

80 years I never thought any of our simian cousins had that long of a lifespan.

Did you even read the OP's post ??
It says Kidney Failure

Nothingbetter2d · 28-12-2011 04:19PM

galwayrush wrote: »

So he cheetahed death for 35 years....:D

after all that money the chimp's trainer got for those movies you expect the chimp to have his own personal vet. At least the vet didnt feed too many sleepers to his boss :P

Celticfire · 28-12-2011 04:26PM

ScumLord wrote: »

Monkey? That's a terrible insult to give this primate on his death bed, you should be ashamed sir.

He's not on his death bed...... he's dead... :pac:

28-12-2011 04:31PM

Ungowa Cheetah

Ellis Dee · 28-12-2011 04:39PM

His co-star Maureen O'Sullivan was Irish and lived to 87.

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/111228125601-cheetah-dies-tarzan-story-top.jpg

SisterAnn · 28-12-2011 04:55PM

Good interview with her broadcast on the wireless lately. She didn't care much for Weissmuller - he was a bit arrogant.

44leto · 28-12-2011 05:06PM

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Did you even read the OP's post ??
It says Kidney Failure

I was to upset to

I just assumed it was old age.

I wonder did he outlive "Boy"

Chuck Stone · 28-12-2011 05:11PM

Goodnight sweet prince of the primates

CrazyRabbit · 28-12-2011 07:03PM

He was a better actor than many human actors today.

Biggins · 28-12-2011 08:10PM

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

He was a better actor than many human actors today.

...That certainly includes a lot of soaps from what I can see just in the trailers for them alone!

ItsAWindUp · 28-12-2011 08:14PM

What an age:eek:

theholyghost · 28-12-2011 08:21PM

Hmmm, I think it was pretty well proved a few years ago that this is not the chimp in all those movies but rather a chimp approximately half the age claimed, who more than likely never appeared in any movies. But the media don't pick up on these things.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112500939.html?hpid=features1&hpv=national

Yakult · 28-12-2011 09:16PM

Goodnight sweet prince.

Nodin · 28-12-2011 09:18PM

Sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest conceded the animal had a habit of throwing his faeces when discontented. "When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them," Priest said. "He could get you at 30 feet, with bars in between."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/dec/28/chimp-cheeta-cheetah-tarzan-dies
A chimp after me own heart.....

Tarzan's chimp Cheetah dies aged 80

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