Oliver is so unique that two obits about him were combined and included here...
Oliver, the famed upright-walking chimpanzee, at least 55 years old, dies at Texas sanctuary
SAN ANTONIO — Oliver, a chimpanzee known for his upright stature and humanlike traits, has died at a Texas wildlife refuge after spending much of his life in circus shows and research labs.
This May 2012 photo provided by Primarily Primates shows a chimpanzee named Oliver painting.
Oliver, known for his upright stature and humanlike traits has died at a Texas refuge.
Caretakers found Oliver dead Saturday, June 2, 2012 in his hammock.
Tello told The Associated Press the sanctuary plans a private memorial later in the week.
He said Oliver will be cremated and his ashes will be spread near where the chimps live on the sanctuary. And girlfriend Raisin will be reintroduced to some old friends.
Tello told the San Antonio Express-News that Oliver's girlfriend, Raisin, was by his side when caretakers found him.
Oliver, who walked upright almost all of the time, was believed to be at least 55 years old.
He was pulled from the wild in the Congo by two animal trainers when he was a youngster, Tello said.
Oliver came to the sanctuary after being relocated from a research lab in Pennsylvania.
Tello said the lab didn't perform any studies on Oliver during his decade there because the staff could tell he was special: "He was just on a different level; he had very humanlike traits."
Oliver had been dubbed the "Humanzee" and was touted as a missing link.
In a 1997 story, the San Antonio Express-News reported that the chimpanzee was put on display throughout the world in the 1970s.
"But for the last part of his life, he got to live in a safe haven — a non-exploitive, non-commercialized world where he was surrounded by people who love him and in companionship with others of his kind," Tello said.
Rumors had circulated for years that Oliver had 47 chromosomes, representing a biological amalgam between man and ape. Human beings have 46 chromosomes, chimps 48.
But a geneticist who analyzed Oliver's chromosomes told the newspaper in in 1997 that Oliver had 48 chromosomes. And his findings matched up with chromosome studies done in the late 1970s in Japan.
Shelly Ladd, enrichment coordinator at the sanctuary, tried to keep life interesting for the aging chimp.
"He loved coconut sorbet — that got the biggest hoots and hollers," she said. "But if he didn't like something, he'd hand the bowl back to you."
___
Online:
Primarily Primates: http://www.primarilyprimates.org/
...........................................
Oliver, chimpanzee with humanlike traits, dies
By Michelle Casady
Published Monday, June 4, 2012
Oliver was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary in 2006. / Primarily Primates
SAN ANTONIO - Oliver, the chimpanzee who spent much of his life as part of circus shows or in research labs, was found dead in his bedroom at Primarily Primates, the sanctuary where he spent his last 14 years.
He came to Primarily Primates from a research lab in Pennsylvania in 1998. Tello said the lab didn't perform any studies on him during his decade there because the staff could tell he was special: "He was just on a different level; he had very human-like traits."
For one, Oliver walked upright almost all the time. His unique qualities drew international attention, and he was dubbed the "Humanzee," touted as a missing link.
Oliver was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary in 2006, and the character Caesar in last year's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was said to be based on him.
"He loved coconut sorbet - that got the biggest hoots and hollers," she said.
"But if he didn't like something, he'd hand the bowl back to you," like the time he tried sugar-free pistachio pudding.
Oliver, the famed upright-walking chimpanzee, at least 55 years old, dies at Texas sanctuary
SAN ANTONIO — Oliver, a chimpanzee known for his upright stature and humanlike traits, has died at a Texas wildlife refuge after spending much of his life in circus shows and research labs.
This May 2012 photo provided by Primarily Primates shows a chimpanzee named Oliver painting.
Oliver, known for his upright stature and humanlike traits has died at a Texas refuge.
Caretakers found Oliver dead Saturday, June 2, 2012 in his hammock.
Tello told The Associated Press the sanctuary plans a private memorial later in the week.
He said Oliver will be cremated and his ashes will be spread near where the chimps live on the sanctuary. And girlfriend Raisin will be reintroduced to some old friends.
Tello told the San Antonio Express-News that Oliver's girlfriend, Raisin, was by his side when caretakers found him.
Oliver, who walked upright almost all of the time, was believed to be at least 55 years old.
He was pulled from the wild in the Congo by two animal trainers when he was a youngster, Tello said.
Oliver came to the sanctuary after being relocated from a research lab in Pennsylvania.
Tello said the lab didn't perform any studies on Oliver during his decade there because the staff could tell he was special: "He was just on a different level; he had very humanlike traits."
Oliver had been dubbed the "Humanzee" and was touted as a missing link.
In a 1997 story, the San Antonio Express-News reported that the chimpanzee was put on display throughout the world in the 1970s.
"But for the last part of his life, he got to live in a safe haven — a non-exploitive, non-commercialized world where he was surrounded by people who love him and in companionship with others of his kind," Tello said.
Rumors had circulated for years that Oliver had 47 chromosomes, representing a biological amalgam between man and ape. Human beings have 46 chromosomes, chimps 48.
But a geneticist who analyzed Oliver's chromosomes told the newspaper in in 1997 that Oliver had 48 chromosomes. And his findings matched up with chromosome studies done in the late 1970s in Japan.
Shelly Ladd, enrichment coordinator at the sanctuary, tried to keep life interesting for the aging chimp.
"He loved coconut sorbet — that got the biggest hoots and hollers," she said. "But if he didn't like something, he'd hand the bowl back to you."
___
Online:
Primarily Primates: http://www.primarilyprimates.org/
...........................................
Oliver, chimpanzee with humanlike traits, dies
By Michelle Casady
Published Monday, June 4, 2012
Oliver was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary in 2006. / Primarily Primates
SAN ANTONIO - Oliver, the chimpanzee who spent much of his life as part of circus shows or in research labs, was found dead in his bedroom at Primarily Primates, the sanctuary where he spent his last 14 years.
He came to Primarily Primates from a research lab in Pennsylvania in 1998. Tello said the lab didn't perform any studies on him during his decade there because the staff could tell he was special: "He was just on a different level; he had very human-like traits."
For one, Oliver walked upright almost all the time. His unique qualities drew international attention, and he was dubbed the "Humanzee," touted as a missing link.
Oliver was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary in 2006, and the character Caesar in last year's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was said to be based on him.
"He loved coconut sorbet - that got the biggest hoots and hollers," she said.
"But if he didn't like something, he'd hand the bowl back to you," like the time he tried sugar-free pistachio pudding.
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