Sami was born at the
Osijek Zoo and Aquarium, in
Osijek (modern-day
Croatia), in 1979. He had a female offspring named Zorica. He was a well developed specimen with a thick coat. Sami arrived at the
Belgrade Zoo on 12 January 1988. Upon his arrival, he was placed in a cramped, dilapidated enclosure with a reinforced grid which was nominally capable of containing an adult
chimpanzee. Unaccustomed to his new surroundings, Sami exhibited an aggressive disposition during his first few weeks at the zoo. Sami made his first escape attempt around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, 21 February 1988. Sami first headed east, towards the
Dorćol neighbourhood, and then south towards downtown
Belgrade. He was spotted in front of the
JNA Hall and then appeared outside the
Balkan Cinema, causing widespread panic among the passersby, before heading towards the Terazije Tunnel, cautiously pursued by around a dozen police vehicles. The police blocked the entrance to the tunnel with their vehicles and managed to prevent Sami from entering it. Instead, Sami headed towards Kalemegdan Park. Around 9:00 p.m., Sami was cornered at
Students Square, where he was approached by the one person he trusted, zoo director
Vuk Bojović, who attempted to persuade Sami to accompany him back to his enclosure, saying: "Come on, Sami. Let's go home." Bojović eventually managed to take Sami by the hand and drove him back to the zoo in his car. Some held up placards with slogans such as "Sami, we're with you!" and "Don't give yourself up, Sami!" Since the Belgrade Zoo was not equipped with a
tranquilizer gun at the time, the police had to wait for one to be delivered from the Osijek Zoo before they could attempt to rein Sami in. Around 5:00 p.m., with temperatures nearing 0 °C (32 °F), Sami was shot with a tranquilizer dart and recaptured. Sami died unexpectedly on 11 September 1992. A subsequent
dissection of Sami's cadaver revealed that he had been suffering from an inflammation of the intestines. Sami's remains were buried at the lawn adjacent to the zoo's entrance. ==Legacy==