RR Anderson, Cultural Arts Specialist for Hire

Jun. 11, 2008 at 4:16pm

Ivan the Gorilla

Tacoma's Own Great Ape

Mark Monlux illustrated Ivan the other day down at frost park.

Many of the young persons didn't know what it was about this is the rest of teh story:

A Story and a Life that Continues to Touch and Inspire Us All!

In 1987, after becoming aware of the plight of this highly social animal, who had been confined alone to a 14' x 14' concrete cell for more than 27 years, PAWS began a campaign to free Ivan. It took more than 7 years. Ivan, who had been imported to the US from then Zaire by owner of B&I Shopping Center in Tacoma in 1964, had not seen another gorilla since the death of his infant sister Burma in that same year. full Ivan Gorilla PAWS Story

other areas of interest

comments [7] | posted under animals, apes, chalk, history, tacoma

Comments

by Heather on 6/11/2008 @ 4:50pm	Thank you, RR!
by Mofo from the Hood on 6/11/2008 @ 7:02pm	Yeah, Tacoma is a tough town. I remember checkin' out Ivan many times as kid back in the 60's. Also during that era, Point Defiance had its share of undersize cages: The polar bear and brown bear cages (the brown bear cage foundation is still intact across the road from the dahlia and rose garden); the indoor lion and tiger cages. And lastly, let's not forget the parakeet cages downtown at Woolworth's.
by Mofo from the Hood on 6/11/2008 @ 7:06pm	Yeah, Tacoma is a tough town. I remember checkin' out Ivan many times as a kid back in the 60's. Also during that era, Point Defiance had its share of undersize cages: The polar bear and brown bear cages (the brown bear cage foundation is still intact across the road from the dahlia and rose garden); the indoor lion and tiger cages. And lastly, let's not forget the parakeet cages downtown at Woolworth's.
by ElectricElliot on 6/11/2008 @ 8:38pm	Thanks, RR. I was curious what that drawing was about.
by morgan on 6/11/2008 @ 9:15pm	I was so amazed to read recently that Ivan was still alive! I used to love going to the pet store at the B&I (that's where Ivan was). The B&I also had this amazing video arcade. Only it was before video, so maybe it was a penny arcade. Seriously, some of the games they had were from the 20s or 30s - very vintage. Of course, being a lil one I had no idea. God I wish I had those games now!
by NineInchNachos on 6/11/2008 @ 9:22pm	from one of the links above: "Ivan is in with 2 female gorillas and in the spring of 1998 he had his first sexual experience, so maybe he’ll become a super dad" Ivan made out OK in the end.
by Erik on 6/11/2008 @ 9:32pm	Good history lesson RR. Ivan used to be in the news a lot.
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RR Anderson is one of the most curious characters in the UFO lore and the history of underground cartooning. He fought bizarre underground beings in the caves of Alaska, was wounded by a laser before it was invented, and had a background with the clandestine branch of the Tacoma Cartoonists Society.

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