Cheetah Hits 74

by Bryan

If you remember the Johnny Weissmuller Tarzan movies of the 1930’s and 40’s you will be surprised to learn that Cheetah, Tarzan’s chimpanzee companion turned 74 over the weekend.

Cheetah is recognized as the world’s oldest chimpanzee.

12 comments

1 Mustang Bobby { 04.10.06 at 7:25 pm }: Hasn’t he survived all the original stars in the cast? There’s something to say for that, although I’m not sure what. Perhaps it was because he avoided all the Hollywood hijinks.
2 Bryan { 04.10.06 at 7:35 pm }: Well, he had to quit the “sauce” because he’s diabetic and the desert air in Palm Springs agrees with him.

John Sheffield, who played “Boy” may still be alive, but he would be in his 70s or 80s and he wasn’t in the early movies.
3 Steve Bates { 04.10.06 at 8:35 pm }: How do they know he’s the oldest? Maybe the really old ones are in the wild. Happy birthday to “Cheetah,” oldest or not.
4 Bryan { 04.10.06 at 8:42 pm }: In the wild, according to all of the current research, Chimps rarely make it to 40. They get too old to keep up with the group or die in fights or child birth.

In captivity a few have reached 60, but 74 is the old recorded age.
5 John B. { 04.10.06 at 9:27 pm }: Does Cheetah have a green card? If not, the House of Representatives would like to deport him – now.
6 Bryan { 04.10.06 at 9:35 pm }: Actually, he emigrated from Africa in the 1930s and I don’t know if he ever got his green card.
7 Lab Kat { 04.10.06 at 10:04 pm }: I wonder if he… ya know… *whispers* has had Botox.
8 Bryan { 04.10.06 at 11:00 pm }: How would you tell if you weren’t a female chimp?

I notice that he has preserved his hair color like Ronnie Reagan, they probably had the same stylist since the days of Bedtime for Bonzo.
9 Steve Bates { 04.11.06 at 11:21 am }: John B., if they’re going to start deporting chimps, I can recommend one in particular…
10 andante { 04.11.06 at 12:14 pm }: Via the magic of Google and IMDB, I present Johnny Sheffield, apparently still alive, married with three kids, and presumably no longer wearing only a loincloth.
11 Keith { 04.11.06 at 6:02 pm }: He’s probably grandfathered in as a naturalized citizen by now.
12 Bryan { 04.11.06 at 7:26 pm }: I would hope the guy would at least be great-great grandfathered in by now.

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