ST. LOUIS • Phil was listless and without an appetite. He wouldn't gulp the orange soda that was his favorite treat. He spurned a gift of sugar cane and pushed away a cherry pie.
"Everyone is pulling for Phil," said George Vierheller, director of the St. Louis Zoo. "It's all very discouraging. We really are helpless."
Phil was Phil the Gorilla, the king of the zoo. For almost two decades, zoo patrons had flocked to his cage hoping to catch some of his antics. Sometimes he'd rip the shirt from his main keeper, Frank Florsek. Other times he'd suddenly bomb his human admirers with a mighty splash from his swimming tank.
Phil had lived at the zoo since Sept. 10, 1941, when Vierheller bought four young gorillas for $14,000. Captured in west Africa, Phil weighed 30 pounds when he arrived here.
In health, Phil's daily diet was 22 pounds of vegetables, chased down by two gallons of milk and an orange soda. But on Nov. 8, 1958, the zoo announced that Phil had stopped eating and was losing weight.
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Newspaper updates came almost every day. When Vierheller said he was ordering sugar cane from Louisiana, Mamie Sturgis of 4332 Lindell Boulevard showed up with three stalks she had just brought home from New Orleans.
Phil wouldn't eat the sugar. On Nov. 18, he picked one cherry out of a pie and turned away. The next day, Marcella Hampel of Pine Lawn arrived with a custard pie. Phil snubbed that gift, too.
Caring people filled the zoo mailbox with ideas. A letter from Hong Kong suggested vinegar and water. Someone proposed hypnosis. A doctor wrote that someone should "sit down and talk to Phil."
On Nov. 30, zookeepers were encouraged that Phil drank milk and peach juice. The next morning, a zookeeper saw Phil resting on his floor at 8:30 a.m. A half-hour later, Phil was dead.
His death on Dec. 1, 1958, was front-page news. "He was one of my great pals," Vierheller said.
An autopsy determined death by ulcerative colitis. It also revealed that Phil, even with his fasting, weighed 776 pounds when he died, meaning he had been the largest gorilla in captivity.
The zoo hired taxidermists to preserve Phil's body for permanent display in the old Elephant House, next to today's Jungle of the Apes. The display opened May 11, 1959, and was a must-see exhibit for many years.
Later, it was moved to the Children's Zoo, then to the gift shop.
It's been decades since Phil the Gorilla died on Dec. 1, 1958, and he was a crowd-pleaser at the St. Louis Zoo. But some of the current reside…
Phil the Gorilla was just a youngster as he arrived at the St. Louis Zoo 81 years ago
Zoo crowds gather around gorillas Phil and Kuyon during their first day on display at the St. Louis Zoo on Sept. 12, 1941. Post-Dispatch photo.
Young Phil the Gorilla with Phil Carroll, a globetrotting animal merchant, in September 1941, shortly after Phil arrived at the St. Louis Zoo weighing 30 pounds. Carroll captured Phil in west Africa, and became the new arrival's namesake. Phil was one of four young gorillas that Zoo director George Vierheller bought that month for $14,000. He soon became king of the Zoo, a must-see on any visit. (Post-Dispatch)
Phil strikes a menacing pose for visitors on Aug. 14, 1954. Phil was known for mischief. One of his tricks was to let visitors move closer to his cage, then suddenly douse them with a big splash from his swimming tank. (Post-Dispatch)
Frank Florsek, Phil's favorite keeper, watches through the cage bars on March 16, 1951, to deter Phil from scratching an open wound on his heel. Florsek used the air rifle every time Phil scratched or bit his heel. Phil was known for playing pranks on Florsek. One of his favorites was to rip shirts off his keeper. (Post-Dispatch)
Phil declining to eat a gift of fresh sugar cane on Nov. 17, 1958. After the Zoo announced that Phil was ailing and refusing to eat, updates on his condition became almost daily fare in the newspapers. When Zoo director George Vierheller said he was ordering sugar cane from New Orleans, Mamie Sturgiss of 4332 Lindell Boulevard drove over to the Zoo with three stalks she had just brought home from New Orleans. But Phil wouldn't bite. He died two weeks later. An autopsy blamed ulcerative colitis. (Edward Burkhardt/Post-Dispatch)
After Phil died, zookeepers hired taxidermists to preserve his body. It went on display on May 11, 1959, in the old Elephant House, then next to the old ape house (current site of the Jungle of the Apes). Paying respects to Phil was a regular feature of zoo visits for many years. Later, Phil was moved to the Children's Zoo and later the gift shop. It's back in the old Elephant House, now known as Peabody Hall. Once again he's a star of the Zoo for its 100th anniversary, called Zotennial. (Post-Dispatch)
Phil (left) being chased by Mattite on June 14, 1943, the first day they were allowed to play togehter. Mattite became Phil's mate. She died in 1948. (Post-dispatch)
Zoo director George Vierheller gives Phil one of his favorite treats, an orange sode, in May 1958. Zookeepers knew something was wrong the following October, when Phil stopped eating and refused his daily soda. (Lester Linck/Post-Dispatch)
Zoo director George Vierheller gives Phil a snow cone in July 1955. When Phil died on Dec. 1, 1958, Vierheller said, "He was one of my great pals." (Robert Holt Jr./Post-Dispatch)
Phil nails Kirkland with one of his trademark splashes. (Edward Burkhardt/Post-Dispatch)
Wallace Kirkland, a photographer for Life Magazine, moves in close to Phil during a shot in September 1954. Kirkland took 300 pictures of the king of the St. Louis Zoo. (Edward Burkhardt/Post-Dispatch)
Phil shows off his admirable heft and power in August 1957. The Post-Dispatch used this photograph on the front page of its Dec. 1, 1958, editions with the story reporting on his death. (Lester Linck/Post-Dispatch)
Phil relaxes on the floor of his cage in December 1953, when zookeepers estimated his weight at 525 pounds. Phil ate 22 pounds of vegetables every day, chased down by two gallons of milk. (Jack Gould/Post-Dispatch)
Zookeepers move Phil from storage on Aug. 1, 1980, to a new home at the Children's Zoo. His preserved remains long had been a popular attraction, and his absense in storage led to regular requests by patrons, "Where's Phil?" (Robert C. Holt Jr./Post-Dispatch)
Katie Perko, a few days before her second birthday, rides on the back of a statue inspired by Phil at the Zoo on Jan. 6, 1987. She is the daughter of Sharon and Steven Perko of Manchester. The family was enjoying a relatively warm January day at the Zoo. (L. T. Spence/Post-Dispatch)
