Sasquatch Chronicles Blog

Oliver (c. 1957 – 2 June 2012) was a former “performing” ape once promoted as a missing link or “humanzee” due to his somewhat human-like appearance and a tendency to walk upright. Despite his somewhat unusual appearance and behavior, scientists found that Oliver was not a human-chimpanzee hybrid.

Oliver was acquired as a young animal in 1970 by trainers Frank and Janet Berger. Supposedly, the chimpanzee had been caught in the Congo. Some physical and behavioral evidence led the Bergers to believe Oliver was a creature other than a chimpanzee, perhaps a human-chimp hybrid.

Oliver possessed a flatter face than his fellow chimpanzees; was in the habit of walking bipedally, rather than on his knuckles, much more often than his chimpanzee peers (until he was later struck with arthritis); and may have preferred human females over chimpanzee females. In a December 16, 2006 Discovery Channel special, Janet Berger stated that Oliver started to become attracted to her when he reached the age of 16. He eventually tried to mate with her, and it became apparent that Oliver could no longer stay with Janet. She decided to sell Oliver to New York attorney Michael Miller.

Oliver, the chimpanzee who spent much of his life as part of circus shows or in research labs, was found dead Saturday in his bedroom at Primarily Primates, the sanctuary where he spent his last 14 years.

He was at least 55 years old, while the average lifespan for a male chimp in captivity is 35. Oliver’s girlfriend, Raisin, was by his side when caretakers found him.

He came to Primarily Primates from a research lab in Pennsylvania in 1998. Tello said the lab didn’t perform any studies on him during his decade there because the staff could tell he was special: “He was just on a different level; he had very humanlike traits.”

For one, Oliver walked upright almost all the time. His unique qualities drew international attention, and he was dubbed the “Humanzee,” touted as a missing link.

Oliver was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary in 2006, and the character Caesar in last year’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was said to be based on him.

“But for the last part of his life, he got to live in a safe haven — a nonexploitive, noncommercialized world where he was surrounded by people who love him and in companionship with others of his kind,” Tello said.

Shelly Ladd, enrichment coordinator at the sanctuary, said part of her job was to keep life interesting for the aging chimp, who was mostly blind, had no teeth and suffered from arthritis.

“He loved coconut sorbet — that got the biggest hoots and hollers,” she said. “But if he didn’t like something, he’d hand the bowl back to you,” like the time he tried sugar-free pistachio pudding.

Tello said a “dignified final ceremony” has been planned. Oliver’s body will be cremated, and the ashes spread over the sanctuary’s grounds. And Raisin will be reintroduced to some old friends.