Talk:Jiggs (chimpanzee)

Cheeta talk page

Note: this page was created with material originally posted to the Cheeta article's talk page.— Preceding unsigned comment added by BPK2 (talk • contribs) 19:04, 13 January 2009

Number of Cheetas

I believe that the part of Cheeta was played by a number of apes in the Tarzan films. Any info?Steve-O 22:00, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

Apparently not. The BBC news article today on his 74th birthday indicates that he was in a "dozen" Tarzan films with Weismuller. As it happens, IMDb lists exactly twelve Weismuller Tarzans. - Paul Drye 17:23, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

IMDB has an entry for Cheeta. However it doesn't say he played Cheeta in the 1966-1968 Tarzan TV series with Ron Ely. Does anybody know who played Cheeta in that series? I can vaguely remember watching the credits, but cannot bring this to mind.--DrWhoFan 15:16, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Dead or alive?

This article states simultaneously that Cheeta is dead and still alive. Can someone please find out? - Richardcavell 09:03, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

No it doesn't. It states he has passed a certain age; that isn't the same as saying he's passed on! BPK 06:40, 17 March 2006 (UTC)

I just saw Cheeta on Headline News celebrating his 74th(!) birthday. He had cake and Diet Coke. MrBlondNYC 12:29, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

REPORTED DEAD

I heard a radio report within the past three months (c. April-June 06) that Cheeta had died at age 74.

Must be erroneous. an article by Maggie Downs in The Desert Sun newspaper for Oct. 4, 2006, has Jane Goodall meeting Cheeta the day before in Palm Springs. Cheeta is shown as still alive and well. BPK 06:02, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Birthdate/First Movie Appearance Must Be Wrong

Cheeta's birthday is being widely reported on April 9/10, 2006. However, most sources are also indicating that he was in Tarzan the Ape Man. IMDb shows that that movie was released on March 25, 1932, so one of these two dates, or else Cheeta's appearance in the movie must be wrong. This is an appeal for someone with definitive sources to chip in! -- Paul Drye 17:36, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Don't you mean to "chimp" in? HA!

OK, this is confusing, but bear with me. I decided it would be best to go to the source for this one, since to the best of my knowlege this issue is never clearly addressed in print anywhere. I e-mailed CHEETA (the organization referenced in the article, not the ape!) and asked them if they could throw any light on the problem. I received the following reply:

Hi Paul: Jiggs (CHEETA) first movie was in 1934 in TARZAN AND HIS MATE. As a baby was on the back of Jiggs # 1 in the movie. Dan

This largely clears up the issue, though it is somewhat confusing that Cheeta' caretaker refers to him as "Jiggs (CHEETA)". I have extrapolated the explanation that Jiggs was his name at birth, and that he was renamed Cheeta after the role that made him so famous. This does not seem unreasonable, as non-humans don't have the attachment to their names that humans do! However, the main issue of when the Cheeta being discussed in this article was born has been clearly addressed, and I've changed the article to reflect this.

Incidentally, I realize that I'm skirting the "no original research rule" here. However, since my research was no more than a simple confirmation of fact from one of the principals, I'm comfortable with this and I hope anyone else reading this is too. -- Paul Drye 05:56, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

One more e-mail to CHEETA cleared up the name issue:

Hi Paul: We have always called him CHEETA. Dan

Once again, I've edited the article to reflect this. -- Paul Drye 14:46, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah, I also removed the picture that was here because that does not appear to be the Cheeta that is the subject of this article. Rather, it was the earlier Cheeta, who played the role in the first two Weismuller movies. -- Paul Drye 06:18, 16 April 2006 (UTC)

Oldest Primate

The article states, "(Cheeta) is cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's oldest primate." Yet are humans not also considered primates? What i'm asking here is wether or not Guinness is wrong, and should this be included in the article if it is indeed innacurate?

I was wondering this too. He clearly isn't the world's oldest primate. So who's wrong: Guiness or the article? Ezekiel. 22:49, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Presumably Guiness means oldest non-human primate; I have corrected the article accordingly. BPK 04:45, 12 April 2006 (UTC)

Cheeta is male

Someone should include thin in the article as well!

Brazil

Curiously, many in Brazil believes that Cheeta is a she, since that is a female name in Portuguese.

This originally said everyone in Brazil. I highly doubt all Brazilians think Cheeta is female. What about Brazilians who have read the wikipedia article for example? Actually there is no evidence from this article it is many either but I've just left it at that. Also would the word interestingly (or something of that sort) be a better choice? I feel that curiously suggests it's strange or unexpected but given the reason, it doesn't seem strange or unexpected. Nil Einne 13:42, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Is Cheeta a common chimpanzee or a bonobo

What kind of chimp is Cheeta.

http://gamma.fnphoto.com/stories/2156/ <== I'd say common.

Common. A bonobo wouldn't be able to stop masturbating long enough for filming to go on. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.252.71.224 (talk) 23:14, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Bad habits

This National Geographic article says Cheeta used to enjoy both beer (several per day) and cigars until the early 90's. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0509_030509_cheeta_2.html Probably ain't significant enough for the article, but it's hilarious.. unless you consider what the cigars must've done to his health. (My mind conjures up an image of Cheeta watching his old movies with his grandson, sharing a beer, saying (in chimp) "this here is one of the best scenes I did with Johnny" and puffing on a cigar.) Muad 10:04, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't know if it is where Cheeta got the habit, but Henry Trefflich, the dealer where he came from, taught a few of his primates to smoke. I have seen pictures of them somewhere.Isaac Crumm 02:34, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Is the original Cheeta still alive?

The article is quite clear that there is this one Cheeta born in 1932, playing (albeit in a minor role) in Tarzan the Ape Man, and still alive in Palm Springs. Yet the Palm Springs website features some really cautious phrasing, and I quote: "Our sanctuary's Cheeta is the last in a long line of Cheetas dating back to the first in 1932." Sounds a bit fishy, doesn't it? Classical geographer (talk) 15:54, 26 November 2008 (UTC)

A guy named R.D. Rosen has written an article in the Washington Post on his aborted biography of Cheeta. He concluded that most of the information on the subject – probably including most of the stuff in this article – are BS. See this link [1]. I guess the article should be rewritten. 70.108.226.219 (talk) 18:14, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

The article should be rewritten to be about the chimps (plural) who played the role of Cheeta in the movies, and (separate section) about living chimps about whom the claim has been made that they are (one of) the original(s). The Washington Post article is quite specific with facts about why the article should not be about the chimp for whom claims of an age of 70+ have been made. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 23:38, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

I rewrote the article more or less in accord with the above suggestion, and subsequently separated it into two articles, the current one on the character Cheeta and a separate one on the chimp alleged to have portrayed him (Jiggs (chimpanzee)). BPK (talk) 18:59, 13 January 2009 (UTC), revised 23 February 2009

E' morta

She's dead

Obrigado. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 151.33.96.44 (talk) 12:52, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

The newspapers are reporting that Cheeta is dead, but that appears to be another chimp, not the one owned by Dan Westfall of C.H.E.E.T.A. But the newspapers are reporting that a Cheeta at Suncoast Primate Sanctuary just died at 80, and they are reporting it as Tarzan's Cheeta. (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/12/cheetah-the-chimp-star-of-tarzan-movies-dies-at-age-80/1) This makes no sense to me. Carlo (talk) 16:32, 28 December 2011 (UTC)