Thursday, October 25, 2007

Jungle Palms Restaurant and Zoo

Last July, an OCThen reader named Cindy asked if anyone remembers a little zoo in Fullerton, featuring a gorilla with a head wound...

Does anyone else remember the little zoo in Fullerton on Raymond and Orangethorpe? I remember going there last around 1970. It was next to the old Laura Scudders plant and the Akua Lodge Motel. They had a chimp that sometimes the zookeeper would let me hold and a big, sad old gorilla. The last time I saw the gorilla he had a head wound that was bleeding. I guess it is just as well it's no longer there as I don't think they took such great care of the animals.

By Cindy
We received the following response from "Eve"...
Re: Old Zoo on Raymond and Orangethorpe
I believe that was the private zoo of the Palms restaurant. Next to the restaurant they had some sad primates stuck in small cages. I think one day the gorilla escaped and went into the restaurant and ate the patron's food. At least, that is what my mom told me when we ate there and I was always hoping to have an escaped gorilla eat my dinner.

By Eve,
The Jungle Palms Restaurant was the creation of Jack Dutton, who also owned a nursery called "Jungle Nursery" in Anaheim. There's an interesting story of how Dutton turned a chimpanzee named "Jerry" into a pet, and "humanized" it. Then later, when he could no longer manage the chimp, he had it shot in the head.

Read the sad story about it here...
http://www.charlesphoenix.com/2006/08/the-jungle-anaheim-ca-1959/

5 comments:

  1. I do remember the zoo. My grandpa used to work at the gas station that was next door (since torn down)Don't know how I stumbled across this website....but geez fond memories. I have lived "only" in Fullerton...for 50 years.

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  2. REMEMBER THE PALMS RESTAURANT VERY WELL. AS A YOUNG GIRL, 8-13 YRS. MY PARENTS WERE FRIENDS WITH CLEMA WILIFORD WHO OWNED THE JUNGLE GIFTSHOP ON THE GROUNDS. THEY SOLD MOSTLY TROPICAL CLOTHES & GIFTS. THEY ALSO SOLD BEAUTIFUL LEI'S WHICH LOOKED & FELT LIKE ORCHIDS (MY MOM MADE THESE LEI'S FOR THE PALMS AND NUMEROUS OTHER LOCAL THEME TYPE RESTAURANT'S. WHEN MY MOM WHEN TO VISIT MS. WILIFORD MY BROTHER & I WOULD ROAM THE GROUNDS VISITING THE MONKEYS & GORILLA ALONG WITH THE CHICKENS & PEACOCKS. MOST ALL THE AMIMALS WERE SOCIALIZED & FRIENDLY. THIS WAS A GREAT PLACE WHERE YOU COULD EASLILY GO SPEND A FEW FUN HOURS. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF IT WAS STILL THERE.

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  3. I lived off of East street and the orange grove backed up to our house, so as kids we cut through there and go the Palms all the time. The two old gorilla's names were "Punky and Joe". We even named our bird Punky after one of them. They didn't like my dad who used to take us there and probably teased him alot because as soon as he heard my dad's voice or see him he would throw a banana or what ever he happen to have right at his head. He landed a few good ones as I recall.
    They even used to have an elephant there that got loose one time and was walking through the orange groves by our back yard. My dad was reading to me on his lap and yelled to my mom what was back there...all she asked was "Is it pink Joe?". Fun times in the orange grove that is now the 91 freeway...too bad, now it's just noisey in the unused back yard of my parents home.

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  4. This place came to a very sad end.

    Read the story at http://boingboing.net/2010/01/21/story-time-jerry-the.html

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  5. the chimp could eat at a table and wore a diaper. the chickens would chase you and the gibbons would take glasses off the face of those watching. The flamingos eventually flew away because their wings weren't Clipped, summers they had luaus and Tahitian dancers.

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