The lovely Pattycake has died
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, and she was the first gorilla born in New York City. She died on Sunday at the Bronx Zoo at 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 were still relatively rare. Even rarer were gorillas in captivity being raised by their parents, rather than humans.
She was an instant star, drawing huge crowds who were charmed by her sweet antics. A naming contest in The Daily News attracted thousands of entries.
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http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/remembering-patty-cake-the-bronx-zoos-beloved-gorilla-who-is-dead-at-40/
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