Reuters Pattycake in an undated photograph.She was once celebrated as “the Shirley Temple of the animal world.†She was so popular that she became the subject of a custody battle between two competing zoos. When she suffered a broken arm, rapt New Yorkers followed every twist and turn of her convalescence.
Her name was Pattycake, the first gorilla born in New York City, who died on Sunday at the Bronx Zoo. She was 40 years old. Pattycake had been under medical care as a result of her age and was being treated for “chronic cardiac issues,†according to a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the zoo.
Pattycake was born on Sept. 3, 1972, at the Central Park Zoo, at a time when gorillas born in captivity was still relatively rare. Even rarer was gorillas in captivity being raised by their parents, rather than humans.
She was an instant star, drawing huge crowds to the zoo who were charmed by her sweet antics. A naming contest in The Daily News attracted thousands of entries.
And then when she was six months old Pattycake broke her right arm, apparently the result of some overly exuberant play with her parents. The city held its breath, as Pattycake underwent an hour-long operation and then was whisked away to the Bronx Zoo to recuperate away from her parents. The two zoos then quarreled over who would get to keep the famous infant, until it was finally decided that she should go back home to Central Park.
Three months later, Pattycake and her parents had a dramatic and tender reunion. In 1983, Pattycake went back to the Bronx Zoo, where she gave birth to 10 gorillas. Pattycake, as the Wildlife Conservation Society put it, was New York City “institution,†who was often a highlight of a trip to the zoo for countless children â€" and their parents.
If you have remembrances or stories about Pattycake please share them in the comments box below.
she remained, a much beloved New Yorker who during her life was a highlight of a trip to the zoo for so many children â€" and their parents.
