Among the members of any group of living beings, there are always some whose uniqueness makes them stand out, head and shoulders, above the rest. In the animal kingdom, it may be something as simple as being an albino or surviving a particularly tragic “childhood.” When such is the case, we’re often left to wonder what became of these creatures once the glamour fades from the public eye.
A silverback gorilla with a red thatch of fur on his head, by the name of Willie B. – so named for former Atlanta mayor, William B. Hartsfield – was captured with the intention of being turned into a zoo exhibit at the Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo. From his native home of Africa, he was taken and transferred to the States, where he spent more than 20 years in isolation. Other than himself, the only form of contact or companionship that he was allowed to enjoy during this time was a small TV set, which sat on a shelf in the corner of his cage. In exchange for his striking appearance, he was offered a lonely existence halfway around the world from his natural home.
Snowflake – an albino gorilla – was captured in Africa in 1966. At that time, he was the only known albino gorilla, and so was put on display in a zoo in Barcelona, Spain, where he enjoyed great popularity among locals and tourists alike. During his residency at the zoo – approximately 37 years – he fathered 22 offspring with three separate female gorillas, none of which were albino. Although often grouchy, Snowflake was loved and admired by everyone, to the degree that even a set of memoirs were written in his name. In November of 2003, he finally had to be euthanized as a result of the pain that he experienced while suffering from skin cancer.