Massa (gorilla)

Massa (1930 – 30 December 1984) was the oldest living male gorilla, reaching an age of 54 years, until his death in 1984. Massa was previously the oldest gorilla in the world before being surpassed by Jenny who lived to age 55. [1]

Massa was born in the wild in Ghana. He was shipped to America at an early age and his first owner was Brooklyn eccentric Gertrude Lintz. In 1935, after accidentally spilling water on Massa, which startled him severely, Mrs. Lintz decided to sell him to the Philadelphia Zoo.[2][3]

In his prime, Massa weighed 400 lbs (181 kg).

Massa lived at the zoo until his death from a stroke on 30 December 1984, following a special birthday party held by the zoo, complete with a special cake and a live dixieland band. He was buried within the grounds of the zoo.

The film Buddy was based on the life of Massa (with some elements from the life of another of Mrs. Lintz's gorillas, Gargantua, who was known at the time as Buddy).