Little Rock Celebrity Passes Away

Richard was the alpha male his group at the Little Rock Zoo. As the leader, he was quick to defend his family and territory by throwing food, mud, and other, more fragrant, objects. The Little Rock Zoo acquired Richard from the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Ind. in 1988. He had been in the wild before beginning his US tour.

Richard was about 32 years old Zoo officials said. While anesthetized, he suddenly stopped breathing and the veterinarian and staff were unable to revive him. X-rays of his chest showed he had an enlarged heart that was more than three times the normal size for a male chimpanzee.

The Little Rock Zoo is the only zoo in the state and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Founded in 1926 with just a deserted timber wolf and a circus trained brown bear, the Little Rock Zoo is presently home to more than 725 animals representing over 200 species. Many of the animals are representatives of species that are endangered.Naked mole-rats are the newest addition to the zoo. Another zoo attraction is the Over the Jumps carousel, a fully-restored antique carousel. A new lorikeet exhibit will open in 2007 along with the African Veldt mixed-species exhibit.

Chimpanzee, frequently shortened to as chimp, refers to two species of primates of the genus Pan. Richard and the even greater celebrity Cheetah of Tarzan fame are members of family Common Chimpanzees, known scientifically as Pan troglodytes. The natural habitat of these animals is located primarily in West and Central Africa. Their cousins, known as the Bonobo or "Pygmy Chimpanzee," scientifically known as Pan paniscus, are found in the forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo River forms the boundary between the two species.

Richard and the other primates have generated much wonder and joy over the years. This humor went both ways. Laughter is not confined or unique to humans. Self-awareness of one's situation as shown by monkey-mirror experiments, or the ability to identify with another's predicament, are prerequisites for laughter. Chimps have been frequently shown to exhibit this awareness. Chimpanzees show laughter-like vocalizations in response to physical contact, such as wrestling, play chasing, or tickling. Chimpanzee laughter is not readily recognizable to humans as such, because it is generated by alternating inhalations and exhalations that sound more like breathing and panting. The differences between chimpanzee and human laughter are probably the result of adaptations that have evolved to enable human speech. There are instances in which non-human primates have been reported to have expressed joy. One study analyzed and recorded sounds made by human babies and bonobos (also known as pygmy chimpanzees) when tickled. It was shown that, although the bonobo's laugh was at a higher frequency, the laugh followed the same spectrographic pattern of human babies - including similar facial expressions. Humans and chimpanzees share similar ticklish areas of the body, such as the armpits and belly. The enjoyment of tickling in chimpanzees does not diminish with age.