Bernard Beer Blog

Not surprisingly, most ape populations are currently endangered as a result of habitat loss, and so it is in a spirit of conservation and protection that I offer this top ten. Please enjoy.

Koko is a female lowland gorilla who was born into captivity in the San Francisco Zoo, in 1971. She is famous for having learned over 1,000 signs in American Sign Language (technically, it’s a slightly modified version of ASL, which her trainer Penny Patterson calls GSL, Gorilla Sign Language). Although almost all the signs she knows are nouns and adjectives, and she is unable to construct sentences, she has demonstrated aptitude by inventing new signs based on her existing vocabulary. For example, she combined the words “water” and “bird” to describe ducks and swans. She also has used the language to communicate emotion, signing “frown,” “cry,” and “sad” when her pet cat was killed by a car. In addition to her prowess in signing, Koko can also understand about 2,000 words in spoken English. While many of the claims about her capacity to communicate have been contended, she is, nonetheless, an impressive specimen and her progress has raised important questions about our gorilla relatives.

Also known as the “hairy Houdini,” Ken was a male Bornean orangutan born into captivity (also in 1971) in the San Diego Zoo. He achieved celebrity status in the summer of 1985, by outsmarting his keepers and escaping from his enclosure on three separate occasions, and also helping other orangutans escape from the same enclosure.

Zoo personnel were baffled at how the ape managed the feat, resorting to installing hidden cameras (which proved nothing as Ken somehow knew when he was under surveillance) and hiring professional rock-climbers to examine the enclosure inch-by-inch to find every possible exit. Ken spent his short-lived periods of freedom strolling leisurely around the zoo, admiring the animals and behaving congenially with human zoo goers. Eventually, the orangutan home was rendered escape-proof, but not before this esc-ape artist had captured the hearts of the public, inspiring at least one known song, a work of short fiction, and various t-shirts and bumper stickers. In the year 2000, Ken was diagnosed with cancer and euthanized.

Zippy was a chimpanzee actor and regular feature on the Ed Sullivan Show, the Howdy Doody Show and other American comedy television shows in the 1950’s and 60’s. He entertained audiences with his bike riding, roller-skating and genuinely handsome smile. Indeed, Zippy was so popular that a line of stuffed dolls were produced in his likeness and, today, these toys are among the most cherished vintage items. Other chimpanzee actors meriting a brief mention are Jiggs, the first “Cheeta” from the 1930’s Tarzan movies, Evie from Battlestar Galactica, Punkun from the Japanese show Tensai Shumira Zoo, and Mikey from the Manchurian Candidate, Saturday Night Live and the World Series of Poker.

In 1996, while filming a wildlife documentary in the remote jungles of Borneo, actress Julia Roberts was overpowered by a 300-pound (130 k) male orangutan, who was, apparently, intent on mating. Forced copulation is quite common in orangutan societies and it accounts for a large part of their reproduction. Exploits of orangutans upon human women are also well documented, however referring to these occurrences as acts of rape is somewhat incorrect, as it would ascribe criminal motives to a blameless animal. In any event, Julia was removed from the orangutan’s grasp with the help of five crew hands who were present, and she escaped the incident unscathed. In her own words, “He wanted to play as though I was a doll, or carry me off and have a smooch. It got a bit out of hand, but I knew his intentions were playful, and so I think that he paid me a compliment. He had the strength of an entire person’s body in one finger. He could have crushed me.” There’s also video footage of this encounter.

Where there’s no harm, there’s no foul, and so despite an unsuccessful try, this nameless ape earns his spot on our list for simply setting his hopes high.

Tião was a chimpanzee from the Rio de Janeiro Zoo, who was a candidate for the office of mayor in Rio de Janeiro, in 1988. Representing the “Brazilian Banana Party,” the event was a farce perpetrated by the comedy duo Casseta & Planeta, who gave the campaign the slogan “Vote Monkey, Get Monkey.” The chimp, who also gained notoriety for throwing feces at various politicians at the zoo, ultimately received over 400,000 of the votes, or about 9.5%. All of these were officially recorded as “null” but it was enough for him to finish in a respectable third place.

Michael was an orphan silverback gorilla from Cameroon who, as a baby in the wild, survived the violent poaching of his mother. After this he was brought to California, where he learned sign language at the Gorilla Foundation under the tutelage of Koko. Experts believe Michael witnessed the attack on his mother, and used signs to describe the traumatic event.

At the Foundation, Michael also learned how to paint and his works have been deemed “impressionist” (as opposed to the abstract works of other gorilla artists, including Koko). He always picked his own colors, and he often made a handprint on the canvas, as a signature. One of his most distinguished pieces is a portrait he painted from memory of his pet dog, a border collie whom he named Apple. Michael died of heart failure in the year 2000, and his works are currently available for purchase online.

Buddy was a larger-than-average Congolese lowland gorilla who joined the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1930’s. Renamed Gargantua and advertised as “The Largest and Fiercest Gorilla Ever Brought Before the Eyes of Civilized Man,” this capable ape is credited with single-handedly saving the iconic circus company from financial ruin during the Great Depression.

Most remarkable about Buddy is the fact that he overcame two brushes with death in his captive childhood. The first event occurred was when he was living in the custody of a sea captain, and a sailor cruelly splashed nitric acid in his face, permanently scaring him physically and emotionally. This trauma caused a lifelong pattern of intense aggression towards humans, adding to his imposing Gargantua persona. The second hardship was a bout of Double Pneumonia from which Buddy suffered greatly, but recovered with the help of a fringe ape veterinarian named Gertrude Lintz, who also helped repair his damaged face.

Buddy’s size was indeed a marvel, and his skeleton now resides with the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University.

Jacco Macacco was a blood-sport champion who competed in the 1820’s at the Westminster Pit dog-fighting arena, in London. During his prestigious career, Jacco wowed spectators with his unique throat-slitting style, defeating some of the most touted dogs in epic struggles (several upwards of twice his weight), and became the subject of many celebratory drawings and paintings.

It should be noted that Jacco’s exact species is unknown, and although the moniker Macacco [sic] is Portuguese for “monkey” and his vocation was categorically “monkey-baiting,” given the detailed descriptions of him most believe he belonged the Siamang gibbon group of apes of Southwest Asia.

Jacco’s heyday was at the height of animal-baiting popularity, an attraction that soon after dissipated and was legally banned by parliament’s Cruelty to Animals Act, of 1835.

Ham was a chimpanzee astronaut who was launched into Earth’s outer orbit on January 31, 1961, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. His historic mission, part of the American Mercury Project, lasted roughly 17 minutes before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean.

Calling him a “space explorer” might be a stretch, but he certainly qualifies as a pioneer, comparable to the goat, duck and chicken that went up in Montgolfier’s hot air balloon in Paris, in 1783.

NASA was hesitant to name their chimpanzee too early, for fear that bad PR that might ensue with his death (had the experiment failed), and so prior to his safe return he was known solely as #65. Although an important milestone among apes (he preceded Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 ascent by three months) his entry into the final frontier was not the first by an animal; that distinction belonging to a dog named Laika, who was launched by Soviet Russia, in 1957.

Sir Isaac Newton was a Homo sapiens born in England in 1643, who ranks among the world’s most renowned figures in science (or “natural philosophy” as it was called during his lifetime), physics and astronomy. His works include, most famously, his eponymous law of universal gravitation and his eponymous three laws of motion, which, when published in his 1687 masterpiece Principia, provided humankind with an understanding of the physical universe for centuries, and which continue to be the foundational standards for all modern mechanics and engineering. Newton also made advancements in the fields of light and color theory, sound and of powers and roots in mathematics.

It would be nigh impossible to overstate his contribution to civilization as he is often regarded as having one of the greatest impacts of any genius in history (together with Albert Einstein.) An inscription on his monument tomb reads as follows (Latin translated to English):

“Here is buried Isaac Newton, Knight, who by a strength of mind almost divine, and mathematical principles peculiarly his own, explored the course and figures of the planets, the paths of comets, the tides of the sea, the dissimilarities in rays of light, and, what no other scholar has previously imagined, the properties of the colors thus produced. Diligent, sagacious, and faithful, in his expositions of nature, antiquity and the holy scriptures, he vindicated by his philosophy the majesty of God mighty and good, and expressed the simplicity of the gospel in his manners. Mortals rejoice that there has existed such and so great an ornament of the human race.”

Disqualified as a non-ape, Jack was a capable baboon from South Africa, who worked as the personal assistant to a Cape railroad employee named Jumper Wide, who had lost both his legs in a train accident. Working at the station, Jack initially helped with the day-to-day mobility of the crippled Wide, but was subsequently trained by Wide to operate the trains’ switches, essentially to perform all of the duties of a hired, human signalman.

Understandably, many arriving at the station were amazed to see a baboon at the controls, and one woman fainted at the sight. The situation was investigated by the governmental authority, and Jack proved to be extremely proficient and reliable at his post, and was allowed to keep the job. He was even given an employee number and compensation.

The story of Jumper Wide and Jack is a tender tale of human-animal friendship, and Wide was deeply grief-stricken when Jack succumbed to tuberculosis and died, in 1890. Jack’s skull remains on display at the Albany Museum at Rhodes University near Port Elizabeth.

A plan to go diving was already in my mind when I took a flight from Jakarta to Bali. As soon as I arrived on the island, I immediately set off for Sanur and crossed the Badung Strait by public speedboat.

I was heading for Nusa Lembongan, an island that lies next to Nusa Penida and Nusa Ceningan off of Bali’s south-east coast.

The island is well-known for its numerous dive spots. There are at least seven dive spots around the island, home to a variety of attractive aquatic creatures and a wonderful underwater landscape.

One of those spots is Manta Point, which lies off of the southern shore of Nusa Penida, a world-class diving site famed for its gigantic manta rays.

And if you come during the right season, from May to September, it is highly likely that you will bump into the famously unique sunfish, also known as the mola-mola.

Diving lesson is given in the pool before taking the real plunge in the sea. JP/Vyara Wurjanta

But it had been four years since my last dive and I had virtually forgotten everything I had learned. Therefore, a preliminary refresh lesson in a swimming pool was a must.

A little bit nervous, I reluctantly fought the anxious feeling when I practiced the skill of controlling my buoyancy and clearing my mask. Everything went well in the pool, but who knew what would happen in the sea?

The next morning, along with a bunch of other divers on the boat with Lembongan Dive Adventure, we headed to Toya Pakeh, a dive spot located between Nusa Ceningan and Nusa Penida.

“The water is crystal clear,” said Annastinna, a 40-year-old Canadian, inspecting the water from the boat. She was right. Clusters of coral and anemones hazily swayed through the surging water beneath us — a moody window into another world.

Before we jumped into the water, Emo the dive master briefed us about the dive, including the signals we would need to use to communicate underwater.

Sunset in Nusa Lembongan, Bali. JP/Vyara Wurjanta

Feeling both excited and edgy, I took my turn to perform my back-roll entrance. Feeling thrilled, for I could hardly wait to embrace the under-water experience again, and a little bit nervous that my diving equipment could malfunction, and that I might forgot the important skills I had rushed through earlier in the pool, I fell.

But the uneasy feeling left the moment that I began sinking into the cold salty water, and took in the view around me. Down under the water’s surface it was clear, astonishing and wonderful!

Vast slope of various kinds of coral lay below. A couple of majestic table corals sat amid a sea of pale purple cabbage corals.

I gaped in awe as a school of colorful fish whizzed here and there, while anemones danced in a rhythmic motion. I caught a glimpse of three clarks anemone fish (Amphirion clarkii) — the star of the Finding Nemo animated movie. So many of them — probably his relatives — hovered among the tentacles of those peachy anemones.

And I quickly found the whole gang — a Dori-like blue surgeonfish and a flock of moorish idol fishes (Zanclus cornutus) — one of Nemo’s tank inhabitants — scurring among the coral. A blue starfish hung droopily on the corals. Fortunately, there were no hungry sharks masquerading as herbivores in sight.

And then a school of funny black-and-white-and-yellow stripped Oriental Sweetlips swung in an arrow formation. A big titan triggerfish with its glaringly colorful skin – it looked like it was wearing make-up – swayed nonchalantly, confident enough to move alone.

The scenery was so full, yet so quiet. The only sound I heard was the bubbling breathing from my second stage mouthpiece. This was indeed an idyllic paradise.

The second dive took me to a place in Mangrove Point, a spot just to the right of a mangrove forest in the north-eastern part of Nusa Lembongan.

The current was stronger here. Since even our most intense efforts at beating the current by kicking in the opposite direction proved pointless, we gave ourselves over to the stream, floating in the miracle sea once again.

A triplefins poses with wavy corals. JP/Isao Soga

But the time did fly. The 40-minute dive felt like only 5 minutes, and the 200 bars of fresh air in our tanks had already reached the caution zone. It was time to go up!

“It’s amazing. I should come back again one day,” said Eva, a 28 years old Czeh Republican national who along with her Jamaican husband was on her last day in Indonesia.

“It turned out that three weeks of traveling around Indonesia isn’t enough. I should have extended my vacation to three months!” she exclaimed.

She had a point. My two-week vacation on this very island alone felt like the blink of an eye. I swear I’ll be back here soon, to hunt down the famous mola-mola, and of course, the gigantic manta ray.

How to get there

• Take a public boat or speedboat from Sanur Beach. The public boat departs to Nusa Lembongan every day at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and the speedboat departs at 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily.

There are three departures to Sanur on Nusa Lembongan’s jetty at 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. everyday. Of course, the schedule depends on the weather.

•If you want to dive, there are several dive operators on Nusa Lembongan. Pick one that best suits you. And there are at least seven dive spots around Nusa Lembongan. Here they are, along with the underwater creatures recently spotted there:

•Crystal Bay: Mola-mola, manta ray, worty frog fish, turtle, eagle ray.

•Manta Point: Manta ray, turtle, blue spotted stingray, nudibranch, sea snake, nurse shark.

•SD: Breaching mola-mola, turtle, clouded moray, triggerfish, lionfish, yellow edge moray, tuna, barracuda.

•Toya Pakeh: Giant trevally, batfish, nudibranch, mantis shrimp, ribbon eels.

•Mangrove Point: Puffer, angelfish, reef shark, moray eel, barracuda, triggerfish.

•Pontoon: Lionfish, crocodile fish, rigid shrimp fish.

•Blue Corner: Marble ray, eagle ray, barracuda, turtle, nudis, angelfish, batfish, sea snake, eel, reef shark.

Chika Nwafor is the gay Nigerian dude who flaunted his relationship with a German lawyer a few years back. He has since married his partner, Mark Schwartz. Chika and Mark who net via the internet came back to Nigeria recently to meet Chika's family.

He tells Stella Dimoko-Korkus ''Yes I brought him home as nwa afor, I wanted him to eat bitter leaf soup and some native things and also walk along the bush side and go to the stream with me. Well my family love and accept me so why should they not accept the hapiness of my life. Please I need to go back and rest in my matrimonial home now, thank you Stella.''.

Chika and his husband plan to adopt a German baby soon.