The untimely New Year’s Eve death of Massa - the Philadelphia Zoo's beloved gorilla, and the world’s oldest  at the time – is clouded in suspicion.

 

All we know is: (1) on December 30, 1984, Massa’s 52nd birthday, his keepers celebrated the occasion with a live dixieland band and fed him a “birthday cake” consisting of a 3-foot-high mound of whipped cream and fruit; and (2) within 24 hours, the poor, trusting beast lay dead in his cage from a stroke. Zoo officials said they had no clue what might have brought it on!

 

Massa was in de cold, cold ground, but the monkeyshines weren’t over yet.  On Christmas Eve 1995, the ape house caught fire. The building lacked proper fire safety equipment, and when the guards smelled smoke they didn’t bother to do anything for more than two hours. Six gorillas, 3 orangutans and 14 other primates – endangered species all – died from smoke inhalation.

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Fortunately, that’s all in the past. Yes, the monkeys still get a little nervous around holiday time – and who can blame them? But the Philadelphia Zoo has long since cleaned up its act and is now bigger, better, and more fun than ever.

 

In fact, what are you doing this weekend?