Master Pongo : A Gorilla Conquers Europe
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| Title: | Master Pongo : A Gorilla Conquers Europe |
|---|---|
| Description: | In the summer of 1876, Berlin anxiously awaited the arrival of what was billed as “the most gigantic ape known to zoology.” Described by European explorers only a few decades earlier, gorillas had rarely been seen outside of Africa, and emerging theories of evolution only increased the public's desire to see this “monster with human features.” However, when he arrived, the so-called monster turned out to be a juvenile male less than thirty-two inches tall. Known as M'Pungu (Master Pongo), or simply Pongo, the gorilla was put on display in the Unter den Linden Aquarium in the center of Berlin. Expecting the horrid creature described by the news outlets of the time, the crowds who flocked to see Pongo were at first surprised and then charmed by the little ape. He quickly became one of the largest attractions in the city, and his handlers exploited him for financial gain and allowed doctors and scientists to study him closely. Throughout his time in Europe, Pongo was treated like a person in many respects. He drank beer, ate meat, slept at the home of the head of the aquarium, and “visited” London and Hamburg. But this new lifestyle and foreign environment weren't healthy for the little gorilla. Pongo fell ill frequently and died of “consumption” in November 1877, less than a year and a half after being brought to Europe.An irresistible read, illustrated with contemporaneous drawings, this critical retelling of the expedition that brought Pongo to Berlin and of his short life in Europe sheds important light on human-animal interactions and science at a time in Western society when the theory of evolution was first gaining ground. |
| Authors: | Mustafa Haikal |
| Resource Type: | eBook. |
| Subjects: | Captive mammals--Germany--Berlin--History--19th century, Gorilla--Behavior |
| Categories: | NATURE / Animals / Primates, HISTORY / Europe / Germany, HISTORY / Expeditions & Discoveries, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Mammals, SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Ethology (Animal Behavior) |
| Database: | eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) |
| FullText | Links: – Type: ebook-pdf – Type: ebook-epub Text: Availability: 0 |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: nlebk DbLabel: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) An: 4083962 RelevancyScore: 1097 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: eBook PubTypeId: ebook PreciseRelevancyScore: 1096.64697265625 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| ImageInfo | – Size: thumb Target: https://rps2images.ebscohost.com/rpsweb/othumb?id=NL$4083962$PDF&s=r – Size: medium Target: https://rps2images.ebscohost.com/rpsweb/othumb?id=NL$4083962$PDF&s=d |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Master Pongo : A Gorilla Conquers Europe – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: In the summer of 1876, Berlin anxiously awaited the arrival of what was billed as “the most gigantic ape known to zoology.” Described by European explorers only a few decades earlier, gorillas had rarely been seen outside of Africa, and emerging theories of evolution only increased the public's desire to see this “monster with human features.” However, when he arrived, the so-called monster turned out to be a juvenile male less than thirty-two inches tall. Known as M'Pungu (Master Pongo), or simply Pongo, the gorilla was put on display in the Unter den Linden Aquarium in the center of Berlin. Expecting the horrid creature described by the news outlets of the time, the crowds who flocked to see Pongo were at first surprised and then charmed by the little ape. He quickly became one of the largest attractions in the city, and his handlers exploited him for financial gain and allowed doctors and scientists to study him closely. Throughout his time in Europe, Pongo was treated like a person in many respects. He drank beer, ate meat, slept at the home of the head of the aquarium, and “visited” London and Hamburg. But this new lifestyle and foreign environment weren't healthy for the little gorilla. Pongo fell ill frequently and died of “consumption” in November 1877, less than a year and a half after being brought to Europe.An irresistible read, illustrated with contemporaneous drawings, this critical retelling of the expedition that brought Pongo to Berlin and of his short life in Europe sheds important light on human-animal interactions and science at a time in Western society when the theory of evolution was first gaining ground. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mustafa+Haikal%22">Mustafa Haikal</searchLink> – Name: TypePub Label: Resource Type Group: TypPub Data: eBook. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Captive+mammals--Germany--Berlin--History--19th+century%22">Captive mammals--Germany--Berlin--History--19th century</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gorilla--Behavior%22">Gorilla--Behavior</searchLink> – Name: SubjectBISAC Label: Categories Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22NATURE+%2F+Animals+%2F+Primates%22">NATURE / Animals / Primates</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22HISTORY+%2F+Europe+%2F+Germany%22">HISTORY / Europe / Germany</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22HISTORY+%2F+Expeditions+%26+Discoveries%22">HISTORY / Expeditions & Discoveries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22SCIENCE+%2F+Life+Sciences+%2F+Zoology+%2F+Mammals%22">SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Mammals</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="ZK" term="%22SCIENCE+%2F+Life+Sciences+%2F+Zoology+%2F+Ethology+%28Animal+Behavior%29%22">SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Zoology / Ethology (Animal Behavior)</searchLink> |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=nlebk&AN=4083962 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Classifications: – Code: 599.884 Scheme: ddc Type: prePub Languages: – Code: eng Text: English Subjects: – SubjectFull: Captive mammals--Germany--Berlin--History--19th century Type: general – SubjectFull: Gorilla--Behavior Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Master Pongo : A Gorilla Conquers Europe Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mustafa Haikal – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mustafa Haikal IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2020 – D: 12 M: 12 Type: profile Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: isbn-print Value: 9780271082165 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9780271086392 – Type: isbn-electronic Value: 9780271086415 Titles: – TitleFull: Master Pongo : A Gorilla Conquers Europe Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
