Chimpanzee Takes A Glass Of Beer

Northern Advocate, 1 April 1938, Page 6

Chimpanzee Takes A Glass Of Beer

Sammy, a temperamental chimpanzee, arrived in Sydney recently by the German steamer Main. A glass of beer was the only blandishment to which he would yield. Sammy is three years old and comes from Hamburg Zoo. Imported to take * the place at Taronga Zoo of Casey, who died three years ago, he was in mischief throughout the trip. He began his exploits on board ship by breaking his steel chain, wrecking I his special cabin and running amok. Lured from Mainmast. “The ship’s carpenter, who fed : Sammy on the voyage, eventually lured him from the mainmast and secured him in a cargo section of the ship," said Captain N. Wieting. The head keeper at Taronga met the boat, but Sammy declined to enter the box provided for his transit. After much persuasion. Sammy consented to travel by taxi, but then only on condition that the ship's carpenter went along also. On the way Sammy again became temperamental. “He want’s a drink," said the carpenter. The taxi was stopped at an hotel and a glass of beer procured. One Beer, Cue Gulp. It disappeared at one gulp. and Sammy quietened —until he reached Tarcnga. There he refused to enter the big cage provided for him until the ship’s carpenter was used as a decoy. When the carpenter left the cage, Sammy squeezed out through the bars after him.

He was taken in the taxi to a cage with narrower bars, and again the carpenter obliged as a decoy. But they couldn’t get the carpenter out and keep Sammy in.

Two Hours’ Job. A hole was bored in the back of the cage, but as fast as a rope was pushed through Sammy pushed it out again. At last, after two hours, Sammy was made fast

Later in the afternoon he was happily wrecking a sackful of lettuce. Sammy’s shipmates. 10 cranes from Hamburg Zoo, two of which were 150th anniversary gifts to Taronga. behaved admirably.