Jo Mendi II
 Jo Mendi II, c. 1949 | |
| Species | Chimpanzee |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | c. 1939 |
| Died | January 6, 1980 (aged 40–41) Detroit Zoo, Detroit, Michigan |
| Occupation | Performer |
| Years active | 1946-1953 |
| Owner | Detroit Zoo |
| Named after | Joe Mendi |
Jo Mendi II (c. 1939 – January 6, 1980) was a male chimpanzee and performer. He earned a reputation as "the greatest performing chimp of all time."[1]
Mendi II was acquired by the Detroit Zoo in the fall of 1945.[2] He was a gift to the zoo from James S. Holden and his wife.[1]
Mendi made his performing debut in May 1946 at the Detroit Zoo's chimpanzee theater.[3] On the zoo's "opening Sunday", Mendi was credited with attracting a record crowd estimated at 45,000 persons.[4] With his talents for riding a bike, roller skating, and walking the tight rope, Mendi became the zoo's star attraction.[5][6][7][8] For the summer of 1946, the zoo attracted a record total of 1,350,000 persons, 30% higher than the previous record.[9]
In the summer of 1949, the zoo's chimpanzee theater, then known as the "Jo Mendi Theater", attracted 168,276 persons.[10] In October 1953, zoo director Frank J. McInnis announced that, after eight summers as the zoo's star attraction, Mendi was retiring from public performing.[11] He gave his final performance at the zoo on November 1, 1953, having attracted more than 1,250,000 persons to his shows at the zoo.[12]
In 1958, the Detroit Free Press reported that Mendi, at age 17, remained in his cage at the zoo, living within earshot of the zoo's ape theater, largely forgotten.[1] In 1966, it was reported that he had special quarters in the zoo's Great Ape House, where "like any old vaudevillian [he] 'hams it up' when he can get an audience."[13] Zoo director McInnis vowed to maintain a place for Mendi as long as he lived, noting: "If Yankee Stadium was the house that Ruth built, our Chimp Theater owes it all to Jo."[13] McInnis called Mendi "a clown who loved audiences" and "knew the value of pratfalls."[13] Mendi died in his cage at the Detroit Zoo in January 1980.[14][15]
See also
References
- ^ a b c James Pooler (April 13, 1958). "Jo Mendi, Wonderful Ape, Is Still Alive, But Forgotten". Detroit Free Press. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Warren H. Stromberg (March 8, 1946). "Monkey Swung Zoo Off Weak Limb". Detroit Free Press. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Arthur Juntunen (May 16, 1946). "Jo Mendi II Cuts Capers at Zoo Premier". Detroit Free Press. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "45,000 See Jo Mendi II". Detroit Free Press. May 20, 1946. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ J. Dorsey Callaghan (January 27, 1947). "Jo Mendi II Polishes Act in Chimp College". Detroit Free Press. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ James S. Pooler (July 27, 1947). "Zoo's Who: Young Chimps Give the Vaudeville Touch". Detroit Free Press. p. 19 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Here's Jo --- Backstage". Detroit Free Press. November 21, 1948 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jo, the Educated Chimp, Steals Show at Detroit Zoo". The Windsor Daily Star. May 13, 1949 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Norman Kenyon (November 3, 1946). "Zoo Inmates Winterized After Record Season". Detroit Free Press. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Robert Perrin (November 6, 1949). "Zoo Ready to Hibernate After One Last Sunday". Detroit Free Press. p. E7 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ John Griffith (November 1, 1953). "Joe Mendi (Alas) Retires". Detroit Free Press. p. C8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jo Mendi Gives Last Performance". Port Huron Times Herald. November 1, 1953. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Jimmy Pooler (August 13, 1966). "Zoo's Who: Famed Chimp Still Acts Up". Detroit Free Press. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sally Smith (January 7, 1980). "Zoo's famed chimp dies at 40". Detroit Free Press. p. 1A – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "One of the world's oldest chimps dies in Detroit". The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec). UPI. January 8, 1980 – via Newspapers.com.
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