Samson (gorilla)
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Samson (1949–1981) was a male
silverback Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
western lowland gorilla The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
given to the Washington Park Zoo in Milwaukee Wisconsin by the
Pabst Brewing Company The Pabst Brewing Company () is an American company that dates its origins to a brewing company founded in 1844 by Jacob Best and was, by 1889, named after Frederick Pabst. It is currently a holding company which contracts the brewing of over ...
. Samson reached a weight of and lived alone in a glass enclosure. He often hit the windows in frustration and managed to break the glass four times. He was moved to the Milwaukee County Zoo in 1959, and quickly became the main attraction. Samson was one of the largest gorillas in captivity.


Main Attraction

Samson was the main attraction for the
Washington Park, Milwaukee Washington Park (1900) originally called West Park is a park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States. From 1892–1958 the park was home to the Milwaukee County Zoo. It is one of the oldest parks in Milwaukee and it was added to the Wiscons ...
Zoo in Milwaukee from the moment he arrived. The Zoo celebrated his fifth birthday with soda and a cake in front of his cage. Samson attracted huge crowds that came to see him in his tiled stall every day. He appeared on television, in magazines and even on a Milwaukee bus pass. Because of Samson's isolation, glass pounding, and expressions: people saw him as sad, bored and lonely. His poor living conditions also seemed to contribute to that belief.


Death and legacy

Samson died November 27, 1981; the cause of death was massive
myocardial fibrosis Cardiac fibrosis commonly refers to the excess deposition of extracellular matrix in the cardiac muscle, but the term may also refer to an abnormal thickening of the heart valves due to inappropriate proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts. Fibrotic c ...
. After Samson's death in 1981, the Milwaukee County Zoo preserved his semen for use in attempted
insemination Insemination is the introduction of sperm into a female’s reproductive system for the purpose of impregnating, also called fertilizing, the female for sexual reproduction. The sperm is introduced into the uterus of a mammal or the oviduct of an ...
of several gorillas from other zoos. The inseminations all failed. Samson is now honored with a bronze statue of his head near the gorilla exhibit at the zoo. The Milwaukee Public Museum recreated Samson in an exhibit: Samson Remembered. The recreation of Samson was done by Wendy Christensen in 2007.


See also

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Milwaukee County Zoo The Milwaukee County Zoo is a zoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operated by the Milwaukee County Parks Commission. The zoo houses 1,800 animals and covers an area of . It is noted for the second birth of polar bears and siamangs in captivity and for ...
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Koko (gorilla) Hanabiko "Koko" (July 4, 1971 – June 19, 2018) was a female western lowland gorilla. Koko was born in San Francisco Zoo, and lived most of her life at The Gorilla Foundation's preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The name , , is of Japanese ori ...
*
List of individual apes This is a list of non-human apes of encyclopedic interest. It includes individual chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, and gibbons that are in some way famous or notable. Actors * Bam Bam, an orangutan, played Precious (Passions), Preciou ...
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Charles the Gorilla Charles the Gorilla is a wild-born western lowland gorilla from Gabon, West Africa. Although the date of his birth is unknown his approximate date of birth is September 23, 1972; it is, however, celebrated on January 19 each year. At a time when hu ...
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Gargantua (gorilla) Gargantua (1929 - November 1949) was a captive western lowland gorilla famed for being exhibited by the Ringling Brothers circus. He has been credited with saving the business from bankruptcy. An acid scar on his face gave Gargantua a snarling, ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samson 1949 animal births 1981 animal deaths Individual gorillas