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Some creatures, it seems, are destined to die out twice. First, we lost our old childhood friend Brontosaurus, who supposedly never existed, then the scientific community banished Triceratops from the table – for merely being a youngster Torosaurus, researchers say. Good to know, then, that there’s a place in the California desert, just outside of Palm Springs, where you can always be sure to find your favorite Mesozoic reptiles, because they’re not real in the first place.
Remember Tarzan’s old buddy, Cheeta the chimp? Today he lives in a retirement home for showbusiness apes in Palm Springs, meaning he’s surrounded by other former Hollywood stars enjoying their sunset years. Except he doesn’t golf, so instead he paints.
Each year in April, Cheeta celebrates his birthday. The Guinness Book of World Records lists him as the oldest living chimpanzee, even though there’s some controversy over whether he is really 78, as his MySpace website states.
I visited Cheeta and his caretaker, Dan Westfall, last year for a feature in the Financial Times Germany, as well as a video at stern.de. My photo website has a full gallery. Happy Birthday, Cheeta! No matter how old you really are...
