Tarzan‘s ’Cheetah the Chimp’ Dies at Extraordinary Age of 80
- Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:20am by
Liz Klimas
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Maureen O'Sullivan, Johnny Weissmuller and Cheetah in "Tarzan the Ape Man". (Photo: AP/File)
PALM HARBOR, Fla. (TheBlaze/AP) — A Florida animal sanctuary says Cheetah the chimpanzee, sidekick in the Tarzan movies of the early 1930s, has died at age 80.
The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor announced that Cheetah died Dec. 24 of kidney failure.
Sanctuary outreach director Debbie Cobb on Wednesday told The Tampa Tribune that Cheetah was outgoing, loved finger painting and liked to see people laugh. She says he seemed to be tuned into human feelings. According to the Tribune, he was soothed by non-denominational Christian music.
Cheetah the chimp. (Photo: Suncoast Primate Sanctuary)
Cheetah the Chimp at an older age. (Photo: Ron Priest via Tampa Tribune)
Based on the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Tarzan stories, which have spawned scores of books and films over the years, chronicle the adventures of a man who was raised by apes in Africa. Cheetah filmed for the 1932 and 1934 “Tarzan the Ape Man” and ”Tarzan and His Mate,” according to the Tribune.
Cheetah taunts Jane with her dress after she goes skinny dipping in the 1934 "Tarzan and His Mate"
Cheetah was the comic relief in the Tarzan films that starred American Olympic gold medal swimmer Johnny Weissmuller. Cobb says Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller’s estate sometime around 1960.
Cobb says Cheetah wasn’t a troublemaker. Still, sanctuary volunteer Ron Priest says that when the chimp didn’t like what was going on, he would throw feces.
Here is a CBS News report with footage of Cheetah in some of the original Tarzan movies as well as later in life:
According to the Tribune, the average chimp lives 25 to 25 years, while zoo chimps will live between 35 to 45 years, making Cheetah’s lifespan extraordinary.
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Comments (70)
lukerw
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 4:44pmThis must be the one… that replaced the one… that he had killed for biting him!
Report Post »piratesarcasm
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 1:40pmI feel sorry for the chimps that live 25 to 25 years. That must be a real bummer to come out of the womb missing 2-decades of your life and then you immediately die.
Report Post »Anamah
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 2:45pmIt is so sad to keep isolated these animals. Their family is important to them, and they keep living in family groups, where each one has an important role. Alone, in a boring cement cell, I find shameful for us, how we take advantage and ruining their lives with no scrupulous or objections. Well at least this one wasn’t send for tests in experiment laboratory. However… poor guy…
Report Post »cranberry
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 1:22pmSo do monkeys throw their crap at you like apes do? We are related to apes, remember that guy crapping on the side of a police car a few weeks ago? Yep, we are definitely related…
Report Post »thomas
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 12:05pmNo monkey **** you and your family are related to monkeys.
Report Post »lonestarbill
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:53amIf Tarzan was so danged wise in the ways of the jungle, why did he give his ape a cat’s name?
ooh, ooh, ooh. Tarzan no like man from Texas.
RIP Cheetah, I still enjoy watching y’all on TCM. Uh oh, the native drums just stopped…
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 1:08pmWell, he named his only male child Boy. Of course since he and Jane weren’t married, it‘s a wonder he didn’t name him something else that begins with a “B”.
Report Post »jnobfan
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 2:04pmDon’t think “Boy” was genetic son. Pretty sure they found him in jungle. Somebody will correct me if I’m wrong. Jane was pretty hot
Report Post »Proud Southerner
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 2:26pmIn a long lost manuscript by Edgar Rice Burroughs found but yet to be made into a movie with Michael Phelps, Tarzan also has a Cheetah named Chimpanzee. He was danged wise.
Report Post »stage9
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:03pmThe first true dysfunctional family
Report Post »Oglethorpe1983
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:56amWhile it would be fun to believe that Cheeta the chimp lived into his 80s (I find it extremely unbelievable)
Also, While there were several “Lassies” and several “Flippers”, it is most likely that there were several “Cheetas” and the one that died recently was most likely born much more recently
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:07amWhile this one may indeed have been one of the original chimps, there is another in Palm Springs, California that was thought to have been, but, more recent research indicated that he may not have been.
Just my 2 cents worth.
NOTE: SHAMELESS PLUG: I still own a home about a mile away from the Palm Springs “Cheeta”, if anyone wants to buy a GREAT Palm Springs home for a great price, it is for sale !!
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 5:55pmSome news sources also dispute the “one and only” Cheetah theory.
Report Post »Oglethorpe1983
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:52amWhile it would be fun to believe that Cheeta the Chimp lived into his 80s… (I find it highly unlikely)
Also.. Just like there were several “Lassies” and “Flippers” I would have to believe there was more then one “Cheeta”.
Report Post »rukiddinme59
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:55amSo explain the random human that lives to be 120.
Report Post »Oglethorpe1983
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:03amWell…. while it is safe to say that Wikipedia is not the best of sources…
Cheeta, a male chimpanzee born about 1960, formerly owned by Tony Gentry and now residing at th”e C.H.E.E.T.A. Primate Sanctuary (Creative Habitats and Enrichment for Endangered and Threatened Apes) in Palm Springs, California. Claimed by Gentry to have been born in 1932 or later in the 1930s and to have portrayed Cheeta in most of the Johnny Weismuller and Lex Barker Tarzan films, and for that reason long celebrated as the longest-lived chimpanzee. Both claims were debunked by journalist R. D. Rosen in 2008 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.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheeta
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 2:34pm@RUKIDDINME59
Try to imagine how a dog ages at approximately 5-7 human years/year; apes in general age at approximately 2-3 human years/ year. So, if he could live as long as a human then you would have multiply his age by 2 to get his true age. I’m just taking a stab here, but I don’t think he could have been 160 years old.
Report Post »swimmer1940
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:51amThe Tarzan family is now all history. For me, there was no other Tarzan. I have all the old DVDs, and still love the silly shtick of those movies. Johnny W. was a swimmer at the same time my father was a competitive Big Ten fancy diver, (All American). Johnny put on demos at some of the meets, so my father did meet him.
Report Post »DADDYWOREAWHITEHAT
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:17pmConfession time… I have one of those coca cola trays showing Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen o’sullivan in Tarzan attire. How old must I be?
Report Post »Never mind that… I cherish that old relick.
crichton
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:34amJust reading up on Maureen, Johnny Weissmuller, and Johnny Sheffield (Boy) and it turns out, Cheetah outlived them all!
Report Post »lylejk
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:17amAccording to my Dad, Weissmuller was the only real Tarzan, and I remember the Saturday matenee TV shows with him and Cheetah in it and I 100% agree with Dad. Still remember his tarzan call too; believed it was composed by the voiced of at least 3 different folks if I recall the story right, but even that story could be wrong. All I have to say is wow; didn’t know Apes can live so long even considering they live outside the wild. That puts the potential lifespan of Apes right on par with human beings. Interesting. :)
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:59am*Pulling out my hair over one of my silly pet peeves*
CHIMPS ARE NOT MONKEYS. They are apes. They share more DNA with humans than they do with monkeys. Apes are apes and monkeys are monkeys.
Now I feel better. LOL
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:05amSo are you saying humans are Apes?
Report Post »GodHatesFigs
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:14amHumans are indeed apes
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:26am@Stoic one
I’m saying that humans and apes have more common DNA than apes and monkeys. You can conclude whatever you want from that. I’m simply stating proven facts.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:01amMy truck has much of the same copper wire as my house. It also has many of the same electronic components as my laptop. My microwave shares many of the components of my alarm clock.
Your point is?
Just because we are made of some of the same chemical bonds means absolutely nothing.
RESTORING LOVE , July 26 27 28 , Dallas, TX
http://www.meetup.com/MercuryOneHQ (Southlake, TX)
Do you GBTV?
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:54am@TomFerrari
My point is, apes are not monkeys and monkeys are not apes.
Would you call your computer an alarm clock?
Report Post »mrpips
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 12:11pmUnion workers are apes, humans are not.
Report Post »FreeUsAll
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 1:57pm@QP
Lol. Thank you. That was irking me, too.
Report Post »WCJ
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:56amAthiest are calling for a national day of silence in memory of their beloved relative.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:07amMuslims have Mohammad and the athiests have Cheeta. The birth of another religion?
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:27amStop insulting Cheetah. At least he seemed to have a soul.
Report Post »nana24
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:17amCheetah did like “nondenominational Christian” music, the atheist may need to look elsewhere…
Report Post »classicalgas
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:40amSmartest monkey that ever lived. Could have been a U.S. Congressman, and a more effective one at that.
Report Post »Shrugged
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 4:45pm.. Good one . . . and let’s hope all those congressmen die alone in a cell like Cheetah where they belong.
Report Post »captainbars
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:38amWhen Johnny Weissmuller passed away, I read an interview with Maureen O‘Sullivan who admitted that Cheetah wasn’t the lovable monkey as portrayed on screen, and she hated and feared him. She said the owner allowed Cheetah to smoke cigars and drink beer, and when Cheetah would grope and pinch her breasts, the guys on set laughed about it. In spite of her embarrassment, the owner did nothing to stop it. She said she wouldn’t go near the monkey until it was time to film a scene. She also said there were more than one Cheetah, so if this is the original, your guess is as good as mine. After reading her interview, I was appalled that the producers/directors condoned sexual assault and harassment by animal. It was more of a man’s world at that time, but it’s still disgusting that men would find humor in watching an animal grope a woman. Cheetah lived long because he was so ornery.
Report Post »maumau
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:48amand that monkey sanctuary is close by, I have heard of a few girls being attacked there not sure which monkey did it though….
Report Post »13th Imam
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 11:07amSeems that it should be Horny not ornery.
Report Post »bigdaddyt46
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:16amall the research i did (3 websites) all aproximate 1 chimp year = 2 human years. that means cheetah was 160 in human years wow, just wow.
Report Post »pavnvet
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:33amCheetah also worked with the one Tarzan movie that was filmed with former Olympian Buster Crabbe. I was at a business luncheon in the early 70′s in Metuchen, NJ which Buster Crabbe also attended. I asked him about working with a monkey. I recall him telling me it was OK since he got paid more than the monkey. RIP Cheetah.
Report Post »qpwillie
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:16amTarzan lived in a very unusual jungle. It was inhabited by lions from Africa, Snakes from South America, tigers from India, kookaburras and parrots from Australia and various other creatures from different continents.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:04amThat was then, now it’s muslims. It’s a jungle out there!!!
Report Post »Gary Fishaholic
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:57amI loved watching those shows over and over when I was a kid!
Report Post »Just great entertainment.
justangry
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:54amYeah, but once a chimp makes it to Holywood, they start hanging around with the wrong crowd. Before you know it, they‘re donating to the the chimp in the white house’s reelection campain.
Report Post »justangry
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:57amThat wasn’t very PC. Therefore I appologize to all the chimps out there. I didn’t mean to suggest you were that dumb.
Report Post »starman70
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:52amThis brings back memories. I’m glad that this chimp had a good place to live out his years.
Report Post »Lee_in_PA
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:49amUM-GOWA.. Tarzan, Jane, Cheetah, Boy, Timba.. the elephant. or maybe ALL the elephants.
Still can hear Redd FOXX saying something about how many people were in a place.. enough ***** in here to make a Tarzan movie.. NOT PC.. but coming from Redd it was a funny line.. out of the blue
Report Post »JoeInMichigan
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 4:08pmI remember that joke too, Lee. Cousins and I used to sneak out my uncle’s Redd Foxx albums and listen when he was at work. First swear words we’d ever heard on record. Now, you have to look hard to find the ones without the swear words.
Report Post »Another one of his jokes I got a kick out of was one I heard him tell on Johnny Carson, I think:
“My wife is soooo UGLY, Stevie Wonder was over at my house and told me, Dang, Redd- your wife is UGLY!”
…and speaking of working blue, did you hear about Arlen Sphhincter’s new gig?
How the mighty have fallen, eh?
ThePostman
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:43amUmmm, a monkey that lived twice as long as every other monkey has lived. Sounds like cheetah got replaced.
Report Post »MidWestMom
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:36amwow. I can’t believe he lived so long. I love the old Tarzan movies. The “classic movie channels” will run them now & again.
Report Post »GUNNSUP
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:39amGood ol’ Cheetah…I liked the one where he took Jane’s clothes while she went skinny dipping….Ginger, MaryAnn or Jane?…… Jane! Hummida, hummida…..
Report Post »SamIamTwo
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:34amI wonder how many heart transplants that chump got…
Report Post »CanteenBoy
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:42amDoes it matter? If he did, wouldn’t it be another chimpanzee heart with no effect on human transplant priority?
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:34amWeissmuller was our neighbor in Ft Lauderdale in the sixties ( a very nice man!) He told me he hated Cheetah…the thing would bite him
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:50amCould he really do the Tarzan yell?
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:00amthe yell was actually his own voice.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 9:23amAccording to my mother Elmo Linkenhelt the first Tarzan was some kind of relative.. she showed pictures of him but died before I was born…so I never met him. He didn’t do the yell because it was silent films then
Report Post »chips1
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 10:15amJust some more info. Elmo was NOT the first Tarzan. In the film, there was a section that showed a baby. The baby was the first Tarzan shown on film. Elmo came later in the movie.
Report Post »Linny
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:29amThanks for putting this article up!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:29amThat’s unbelievable! I’m amazed that chimp was still around. I never could figure out why Tarzan named one animal after a completely different animal anyway. I wonder if he had a giraffe named Rhinoceros?
Report Post »MidWestMom
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:37amDoes anybody remember the name of the elephant? I think it was Simba?
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:39amSounds right Mom. I never could believe anyone else as Tarzan after Weissmuller. He WAS Tarzan!
Report Post »MidWestMom
Posted on December 28, 2011 at 8:48amGonzo, I agree. Weissmuller will always be King of the Jungle
Report Post »Tinker248
Posted on February 29, 2012 at 3:20pmMidwestmom
Lion was Simba, elephant was Tantor….
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