Timmy was born in the wild in
Yaounde,
Republic of Cameroon in 1960. He was captured along with eight other lowland gorillas by Dr. Deets Pickett, a Kansas City and Cameroon-based veterinarian turned ape capture expert. Pickett, referred to as the "gorilla hunter", pursued the lucrative venture of capturing gorillas for zoos but was also instrumental in learning how to keep orphaned and other infant chimpanzees and gorillas alive in transport and in extended or permanent human care. He contributed to advancements in great ape husbandry science and preventive medicine and specifically sedation/chemical restraint with narcotics, as well as transport and extended care in captivity.
Interview with "Gorilla Hunter" Dr. Deets Pickett In a July 3, 1964 radio interview with Dan Price (CBC Digital Archives), Pickett conceded that at the time of Timmy's capture 97% of gorillas died before leaving Africa. Most succumbed to communicable diseases contracted from humans. But among the eight gorillas transported, Timmy was one of the few to survive and was sold to the Memphis Zoo for five thousand dollars. Today a gorilla is "valued" at least US$100,000 Back when 1981 when Timmy was obtained for exhibition and conservation breeding purposes then-Cleveland Zoo Director Michael Vitantonio said to acquire a gorilla from the wild about to be introduced to a prospective mate from the Columbus Zoo could cost as much 100,000 to 120,000 dollars.
In residence at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo (WCS Headquarters) In 1999, the
Wildlife Conservation Society opened the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit at its Bronx Zoo campus and headquarters. The exhibit, which is a 6.5-acre enclosure, provides home to approximately 20 gorillas. The two Bronx Zoo gorilla families, including Timmy's, were among the largest breeding groups of
western lowland gorillas in North America. Timmy actually proved to be a bigger star in New York City than he was in Cleveland. The celebrity silverback sired more than twelve offspring while in residence at the Bronx Zoo, including progeny with
Pattycake (gorilla), the first gorilla born successfully in human care in New York. Pattycake was actually born at the Wildlife Conservation Society's
Central Park Zoo campus and later moved to the Bronx Zoo. A 1994
New York Times article described a "gorilla baby boom" and plans the gorilla care and management program: "[The Zoo's] first objective is to increase the genetic diversity of an endangered species, but a second, related goal is to create happier gorillas by finding mates and establishing compatible groups. "These are very intelligent, sensitive animals," said James Doherty, curator of the Bronx Zoo.".
In Residence at the Louisville Zoo In 2004, Timmy was retired to another state-of-the art facility at the
Louisville Zoo's Gorilla Forest Exhibit ==See also==