Tarzan Movie Chimp, 82, Lived Long Life

He was a former movie star and one of the most well-known celebrities in Palm Harbor. People often stopped by his home with the hope of catching a glimpse of this famous actor who appeared in classic 1930s Tarzan flicks. Like many other 82 year-old Florida retirees, he lived his golden years lounging in a lush, tropical landscape. But, what made this famous retiree different is he was a chimp, and a very old one at that.

Cheetah, who was one of the chimps that co-starred in the 1932-34 Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller, died of kidney failure Dec. 24, after living most of his life at Palm Harbor's Suncoast Primate Sanctuary.

Debbie Cobb had known Cheetah for most of her life. She says the chimp was born in 1929. Cobb's grandparents owned the sanctuary and brought Cheetah to live there in the 1960s.   

"When chimps get larger, they become harder to handle, and that became an issue and when he outwore his youthfulness, they decided to place him in a place where chimpanzees were." 

Cobb, 51, is now the Outreach Coordinator at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary. She was five years-old when she first met Cheetah.

"He looked very big to me and very strong and he wanted a lot of attention." Cobb says these traits remained throughout Cheetah's adult life. The chimp also happened to be very sensitive.

"He was very compassionate to the female caregivers, he loved to make you laugh, he hated to see anyone cry or get upset." 

Cobb says Cheetah even appeared to tear up after another chimp at the sanctuary died.

"I knew he had a lot of emotions like humans and I think that was because he had been around people all his life, so he could relate to the human aspect of compassion."

Cheetah was one of the most popular residents at the sanctuary. He enjoyed finger painting and once finger-painted a guitar sent to him by a fan. He also had a fondness for smoothies and red Popsicles. During the winter months, he liked to eat oatmeal and Cream of Wheat.

It was a lifestyle that Cheetah enjoyed for years, many more than the average chimp. Cobb says that in the wild, the average life span of a chimp is 25 to 35 years. In zoo's, it's 35 to 45 years. Cheetah died at age 82. 

She says during his last week of life, Cheetah appeared to be a bit off, and the staff could tell something was going on with his leg and arm. He was later diagnosed with kidney disease and died Saturday. 15 doctors had been caring for him and the chimp received round the clock care from nurses.

"My favorite memory is being there at the end.... we got to touch him and hug him," Cobb said.

Cobb says her hope is to have the legacy of Cheetah live on in a new medical center that will be constructed as part of the sanctuary's expansion. 

"So at the beginning of this I was looking at it like, 'this is going to be my worst Christmas eve,' but at the tail end of it, God had shown me something much bigger than him and me and that's why I'm going to be hell-bent on that medical building, I wanna make sure the medical building gets built. 

 The $1 million facility will cater to domestic and exotic animals in addition to wildlife. It will also feature a lecture hall, teaching classrooms for veterinary students, an ecology library, a gift shop and it will serve as a hurricane shelter. Cobb thinks the sanctuary can build on its success with the new medical center.

"For us to have eight chimps here that are over the age of 45, and now the rest in their 50s 60s and 70s, how much more of an impact can we make, if we educate more people?"

• Cobb is encouraging people to remember Cheetah by writing their favorite memories on a web page created to honor the well-loved chimpanzee. 
• Learn more about making a Paypal donation to the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in honor of Cheetah 
• The Suncoast Primate Sanctuary Foundation of Palm Harbor is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers. The sanctuary cares for primates and other animals from a variety of backgrounds: some were rescued from abusive situations or were circus performers, and others were pets who could no longer be cared for by their owners.

Did you know Cheetah was a blogger for Palm Harbor Patch?

Cheetah wrote about his life at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary. You can read Cheetah's blogs here: