Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Item
Title
D142671-4
Date(s)
- 1964-08-31 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Burma and Ivan, two baby gorillas purchased by E.L. Irwin, the owner of the B&I Circus Store at 8012 South Tacoma Way, were photographed in August of 1964 shortly after they arrived in Tacoma from the Congo. Burma, the little female, died soon after she arrived. Ivan, the male of the pair, resided off and on at the Irwin's home until his natural playfulness, curiosity and strength proved destructive. In 1967 he moved into the little gorilla house at the B&I that had been built for him, located between the pet shop and the clothing department; he was a resident at the B&I for nearly 30 years. In 1994, the family of E.L. Irwin donated Ivan to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. The zoo then arranged a permanent loan to Zoo Atlanta where it was felt that Ivan could best integrate into a social group. Ivan died in Atlanta on Monday, August 20, 2012. Photograph ordered by B&I Sales. (TNT ad 8-13-64, B-12;conservationandbehavior.gatech.edu/ivan-article)
Gorillas; B&I Circus Store (Tacoma);