STRENGTH OF GORILLAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19388, 24 July 1926, Page 2 (Supplement)

STRENGTH OF GORILLAS.

WISDOM AND INTELLIGENCE. .Men who. have lassooed the rhinoceros.and'roped.a.full grown-lion, shrink- from the terrible strength.' of' an adult ape. Travellers' tales have been gathered: about the gorilla;,..stories- of ...an ape beating elephants'with clubs, with capturing men and womein/ 1 ' and seekirig ; the* natives' fire when the.owners had-quitted camp.' But all these have been contradicted by the reliable data which has been gathered together to form the sum total o.f our knowledge of-this beast*- • In the haunts to which he is restricted there is little to challenge the supremacy' bf the gorilla. Ho is falsely declared to be wantonly ferocious. But it has been proved that he will usually flee from the* presence of a man like a frightened rabbit, ' but, if unable to escape, his mighty grip and terrible' teeth turn the animal into a foe that most hunters might be glad to avoid, i Two/strong team horses pulling to the utmost seitent of their -power could not force a gorilla to move from his position. It is .little 'to be wondered that his strength is Tespected. His wisdom and intelligence has been proved on numerous occasions when he has exhibited an almost human understanding, and he shows'.'a ' pathetic desire to imitate the actions of man. . •