Evening star., 1932-10-08
0KER0, BABY GORILLA,
DIES AT zoo AFTER
THREE DAYS ILLNESS
Continued From First Paee)

mother. He apparently adjusted we'll to
his environment here. But when the
epidemic Of pneumonia which killed N'gi
vent through the Zoos ape colony las
March Okero caught a deadly infection.
Then. for little while, his life was
dispaired Of.
Dr. Mann telephoned TO Martin
Johnson, we'll known African explorer
who had rescued and reared Okero. that
the little fellow probably was dying.
Holds Baby Ape in Lap.
Mr. and Mrs. johnson came to Wash
ington Immediately and one Of the most
pathetic chapters in the history Of ami
mails in captivity was recorded when
the little black baby, stretched helpless
on his bed CT straw. heard Mrs. John
sons voice outside his cage.
He raised his aching head. struggled
to his feet and staggered to the side
Of the cage. Mrs. Johnson, wearing
the blue overalls she had worn in
Africa and in which she had moth
ereo" Oke-o back TO life once before,
went into the cage and took Okero in
her arms. All the afternoon and far
into the night she sat there in the
her lap, his long back arms clasped
He would not let her leave the cage
even TO eat Finally. late in the night.
she stole away after he had dropped
into a peaceful sleep. From then on
Okero improved and by the time N'gi
died, he was playing again. He be-
longed to harder species. used to the
almost Arctic Winters of the high
African mountains and possibly with
some natural resistance to pneumonia
Never Playful Again.
But Okero never played quite so spon-
taneously again. His face became sad
der, his movements even clumsier. A
physician and veterinarian were con-
stantly in attendance. With the COM
ing of warm days he was put out of
doors. Dr. Mann hoped the sunshine
would prove beneficial to him. He liked
to sit for hours and sun himself. Some
times he ate ravenously
But as the Summer progressed DR.
Mann knew Okero's days were num-
bered A baby gorilla should gain weigh.
rapidly, much faster than a human
baby. Okero did not gain an ounce
Yet he Old not appear to Be sick. 1t
was impossible to diagnose his case. So
little is known of gorillas that when
one gets sick doctors must work in the
dark.
Only three days ago Okero took to
his bed'-laid down in the straw and
refused to move. He was hungry. but
so weak that attendants had to hold up
his head to feed him. The next morn
ing he was apparently greatly improved
and ran around his cage a little.
But, says DR.. Mann, Il knew the
little fellow was dying. When a 60
rilla gets sick there's not much to be
done about it. We are just helpless
Aroused Great Interest.
When Ngi was sick last Winter his
case aroused national interest An
oxygen chamber was rushed from New
York in an effort to save him. He
underwent two intricate operations at
the hands of one of Washington's most
famous surgeons. Rich men went into
expensive wines for him. Sometimes
it seemed he was improving. But in
the end he died. Dr. Mann never had
entertained any hope.
When I saw Okero so sick I kept
quiet about it," DR.. Mann said today.
II couldn't stand the thought of
another public spectacle being made OF
the sufferings of one whom We at the
Zoo looked on almost with the same
love we would have for a. human baby.
Perhaps his life might have been
prolonged for few days, but what good
would it have done? All it meant for
Ngi was more suffering. We meant 1t
all for the best, but when I think OF
the torture that poor little fellow must
have gone through-and all so hopeless
from the start-it hurts"
Offered to Lend Aid.
This time Mrs. johnson was too far
away to come to Okero. The JohnsonS
are at their Summer home in Kansas.
DR.. Mann notified Mr.. johnson by tele-
phone that the little gorilla was sick
and the explorer, who regarded Okero
exactly as a child, was greatly dis
tressed At that time it was believed
the ape was the victim of tuberculosis
and Johnson offered to have him trans
ported by airplane to Arizona. Examln-
alton of the lungs this morning showed
no signs of tuberculosis.
The story of Okero's acquisition was
told by Mrs. Johnson when she came
here last Winter. She and her husband
had lust come out of gorilla land"
the gorilla preserve in the mountains of
the Belgian Congo. They had been
given a permit to capture two gorillas
by the Belgian government. They had
these two. Their car broke down near
a native hut. The native came out
holding q blood-covered little creature
by the scruff of the neck, offering it for
sale.
johnson refused. 1t looked as II the
baby gorilla was badly hurt and had no
chance to survive. There was great
cash in the head. Possession of an extra
gorilla would mean-and actually old
mean-a lot of trouble for the john
sens with the Belgian authorities.
But, while her husband was refusing.
little Okero stretched out his long black
arms appealingly to Mrs. johnson and
cha fooE him from, tho pativa to ey.