Story Time: Jerry- The World's Most Human Chimp

Once upon a time in the middle of the 20th century, there lived a man named Jack Dutton. He was an average guy- nothing extraordinary about him, except that he owned some fancy parrots and a chimpanzee named Jerry. He and his wife Dorothy were raising Jerry as their baby. Little Jerry slept in a crib and wore diapers just like a human baby. Pretty soon, he was potty trained and was sleeping in Dorothy and Jack's bed. Life was good. It wasn't long before Jack's neighbors in Fullerton started complaining about all of his exotic pets. But Jack wouldn't consider giving up his "baby boy". He was cramped for space anyway, so he bought an orange grove in the sleepy farming town of Anaheim, California and relocated to settle down to a quiet life with his wife and chimp.

But Jack and Jerry's life would be anything but quiet. Click through the jump to read the amazing (and TRUE!) story of Jerry the World's Most Human Chimp!

One day, Jack Dutton was talking with some of his local orange grove owners and he found out that a lot of them were mysteriously selling their property. Rumors were going around that the cartoonist, Walt Disney was buying up land in Anaheim to build some sort of amusement park. Jack started to piece the information together; and using a map, he quickly realized that his property was just a hop, a skip and a jump away from what was soon to become Disneyland.

He heard unbelievable things through the grapevine- there were plans to build a river with a steamboat, a city of the future, a wild west fort, and a make-believe jungle populated by robot wild animals... Jack sat down at his kitchen table with a map of his orange grove and began to daydream. If Disney was going to make a jungle with fake animals, why not create a REAL jungle with REAL animals? In his head, he saw a jungle themed restaurant and garden with Jerry, "The World's Most Human Chimp" as the centerpiece attraction. Jack sat up all night drawing up his plans.

The next day, he rolled up his maps and bundled up all his notes and went down to Bank of America. Building his jungle was going to cost a lot of money, so why not try to get a loan? His friends thought he was crazy, but as soon as he pointed out the location of his orange groves on the map to the bank manager, the whole tone of the meeting changed. You see, Walt Disney was being financed by Bank of America too, and the bank knew even more about what Disneyland would eventually become than Jack did. Jack walked out of the bank in a daze. They had given him more money than he could have ever dreamed of!

Jack went to work transforming his orange grove into a jungle showplace. He dug a pond and landscaped around it with tropical plants from around the world. He assembled a menagerie of animals- a bear, ostriches, elephants, exotic birds and even an old, worn out circus lion- and of course, Jerry.

Jack built a restaurant called "The Palms" which was shaped like an L around the front corner of his property. To one side was a coffee shop, cocktail lounge and a beauty shop (aptly called "Headhunters"). Around the other side was Jack's living quarters- a spacious home where he could live among his animals and oversee the operation of his jungle themed attraction. Things were great. Walt Disney often entertained big name celebrities at the construction site of Disneyland, and they had nowhere else to go for dinner afterwards than The Palms. No matter how big a star, Jerry still stole their limelight.

Jerry lived in a typical little boy's bedroom, no different than any other boy in the 50s- but there was one difference. One whole wall of his bedroom was a floor to ceiling sheet of glass facing out onto the gardens. Visitors to the Jungle could stand outside and watch Jerry's typical day from beginning to end...

Every morning, Jerry would wake up and get out of bed. He would bathe himself and brush his hair and teeth. Then he would go to his closet and select his pants and shirt for the day. He would get dressed and head out the door for the restaurant. Jerry would make a grand entrance to the applause of the diners having breakfast in the coffee shop. Jerry would grab a newspaper off the rack and hop up on a stool at the counter. A waitress would patiently take the order as Jerry carefully examined the menu. Jerry's lips would flap in a simulation of speech. The waitress would listen carefully, "Yes Jerry, ham and eggs... over easy... wheat toast... milk and orange juice..." Jerry would open the paper (usually upside down) and sip his milk just like every other patron in the place. When the food arrived, Jerry would eat with a knife and fork and a napkin tucked under his chin. It was a truly remarkable sight.

Disneyland was nearing completion, and Jack Dutton knew that he had a tiger by the tail. He decided it was time to come up with a major league publicity stunt. He called all of the reporters for the papers, news services and theatrical newsreels and invited them to breakfast on the same day. He wouldn't reveal what he was up to, but he told them all the same thing... Bring your cameras!

On the appointed day, the reporters packed The Palms and chowed down on as much bacon and eggs as they could eat. When they were full, the waitresses directed them to all go out to the parking lot. It was time for the "news event". As the reporters looked on in shock, a sports car zipped around the corner- a little convertable two seater- and at the wheel was none other than Jerry the World's Most Human Chimp! Jerry was dressed to the nines in a long driving coat and hat and goggles. Next to him in the passenger seat sat Jerry's proud dad, Jack Dutton.

Dutton had purchased a little right hand drive MG and had lowered the steering wheel out of sight between his legs. A set of fake arms were clasped behind his head in a relaxed pose. Jerry had a dummy steering wheel and had been taught to turn it along with the direction of the car. The effect was astonishing- so astonishing in fact that the reporters just stood in a slack-jawed daze and didn't fire a single shot. Jack was concerned that they hadn't got any pictures, so he wheeled the monkeymobile around the block so he could come back around for a second time.

This time the reporters were ready. They were all in their cars, and when Jerry and Jack pulled around the corner, they took off after them in hot pursuit. Jack had to improvise on his feet, so he headed downtown... to the traffic circle at the heart of Orange, California's old town. Jerry and the reporters went around and around in circles around the park. Until the cop arrived...

One of Orange's motorcycle cops spotted the traffic mess and identified the little MG as being the cause of all the problems. He put on his lights and siren and pulled the car over. He marched up to the door and was astonished to find a chimpanzee at the wheel. Jerry was all ready for him. He pushed his goggles up on his forehead, reached in his pocket and handed the officer a toy driver's license, complete with an ID photo of Jerry's mugging face! The cop scratched his head in amazement. POP! POP! POP! The flashbulbs fired. The next day, Jerry and the cop were featured in every major magazine, newspaper and newsreel in the nation. And Jerry had made a new friend- the cop was so pleased to be a part of the whole affair, he made regular visits to The Palms (where he ate meals at no charge!)

Disneyland finally opened in 1955 to huge crowds, and Dutton's world started spinning out of control. Teenagers broke into the gardens at night and teased the animals. Someone stole the flamingos out of the pond. One day, Dutton was out walking near the lion's cage. He arrived to find a young couple sticking their baby through the bars to take a picture of their kid with the lion. He rushed in and pulled the baby back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he raged. The father explained that they thought all of the animals in the Jungle were tame. The old circus lion may not have had all his teeth, but he certainly wasn't tame!

The insurance company that covered liability for The Palms and the Jungle caught wind of the problems with the animals (after several lawsuits) and raised their rates. Dutton had reached his last straw. The animals had to go. He sold the elephants and the bear, and gave the alligators away to a zoo. Pretty soon, all the animals were gone... all except for Dutton's "baby boy", Jerry the World's Most Human Chimp. Dutton swore he would never part with his simian son.

Dutton dressed Jerry in a gardener's outfit and gave him gardening tools and a hose. Jerry happily wandered among the guests watering and raking. But it didn't last long. One afternoon, Dutton heard a furor coming from out in the garden. He ran out to find Jerry tossing a toddler ten feet in the air and catching him over and over. He quickly intervened and hustled the boy off with his parents. The kid had actually enjoyed the play and the parents weren't upset. But this couldn't go on. Jerry had become an adult chimpanzee. He had the strength of several men.

Sadly, Jack moved all of the furniture from Jerry's glass walled bedroom into the lion's old cage. He tried to make it look just like his room in the house. But when he put Jerry inside and closed the door, Jerry had a nervous breakdown. The chimp cried and cried- all night long and into the next day. He wouldn't stop crying. It was heartbreaking to see. Jack tried to find baby sitters to look after Jerry during the day, but it just didn't work. He called zoos, but none of them would take in a "humanized chimp". Jerry required too much attention for a public zoo to be able to deal with. Finally, Jack Dutton sealed off the entrance to the Jungle and closed it to the public.

Every day, Jerry got up and got dressed in his gardener's outfit. He puttered around the pond hoeing and hosing, but there was no audience of tourists around any more to watch him work. He was all by himself in the Jungle.

One day, Jack Dutton handed Jerry a shovel and a hoe and told him he could do his favorite thing- go out and dig a great big hole. Jerry thought digging was terrific fun and eagerly set to work. The day passed leisurely. Jack sat by the pond with Jerry just like old times. Around sunset, Jerry's friend the cop showed up for a visit. Jack and the cop had a cigarette watching the sun set over the canopy of lush palm trees. Jerry continued to play- digging in his hole.

Finally as the last rays of the sun played over the rippling pond, the cop stubbed out his cigarette and reached for his service revolver. He held it to the back of Jerry's head and pulled the trigger. Jerry fell face forward into the hole.

Decades later, Jack Dutton lived in a trailer park a few blocks from where The Palms had stood. As he browsed through his scrapbook looking at the photographs of Jerry with all the movie stars, and the newspaper clippings of Jerry getting the traffic ticket, a tear came to his eye. "I loved Jerry like my own son. But if I had it all to do over again, I would never have humanized a chimp."

• [Anonymous]

  No matter what is said, ever . . . he’s a complete hind-end. He either a) disposed of his “son” when he became inconvenient, or b) was performing an merciful act of euthanasia.

  Oh wait. Euthanasia probably doesn’t mean that the ailing being ready for death DIGS ITS OWN GRAVE!!!!

• [CopraCandy]

  Please don’t be sad for Jerry. He was reincarnated to become President of the US for 8 years.

• [LeSinge]

  Holy s–t. I am speechless. What an amazing story with such a sad ending. It’s like Of Mice and Men.

  • [AirPillo]

    It is an awful lot like Of Mice and Men, isn’t it?

    I hate it when life imitates Steinbeck.

• [Anonymous]

  …..what he did was despicable

  • [johnny payphone]

    “…..what he did was despicable”

    Er, I hope you mean that humanizing the chimp was despicable- which he expresses regret for- and not putting someone out of their misery painlessly when their time has come. I think this isn’t made clear in the story because it was so commonplace at the time, when animal husbandry was more common and people didn’t pay vets to put their animals down.

    A chimp dragging a duck… isn’t that animal cruelty?

• [sazzamook]

  What a fantastic story but oh my gods… I’m totally in tears now because of that fecking cop :’(

• [MooseDesign]

  What an incredible, fascinating story… but oh man, what a terribly sad ending.

  I can’t say I sympathize with Jack Dutton at all though. So, the chimp wasn’t being harmful, and it sounds like he had reached adulthood without ever becoming violent as some chimps do. He had just become something the owner didn’t want to deal with… After making Jack a living and giving him some minor celebrity, this was the poor animal’s reward? “I loved Jerry like my own son…” Maybe if he was Abraham, without the God part.

• [Anonymous]

  I was about to thank T’Pau as well. “Jerry Was A Man” has long been one of my favorite Heinlein stories :)

• [Nash Rambler]

  Thanks for depressing the hell out of me. A wonderful story, but the ending is making me want to go sob in the office bathroom stall for a little bit.

• [johnny payphone]

  Oh yeah there’s some bored chimps you can play with at the Kumasi zoo, you should visit them if you’re in town. The zoo visitors have access to the chimps and there’s nobody around, so they’re very attention-deprived.

• [Paul Coleman]

  Wow…just wow. I’m surprised this hasn’t been made into a movie. Or maybe I’m not that surprised.

• [cosmorphis]

  Owners usually euthanize animals if they are dying in pain … not because they have become too much for the owner to handle. I don’t see how killing this chimp is for the chimp’s own good. Their must of been somebody in the world who would of taken care of him.

• [HowardsGrl]

  What an interesting story. So sad too. I’m glad that Dutton said he would have never done it if he had to do it over….raising animals as children is never a good idea….especially wild animals. It’s just confusing to everyone.

• [Daedalus]

  I love it. Stories that suck the wind out of you are the most worth telling, and this does that nicely. It’s so bittersweet. I am sorry that such a thing happened, but bravo.

• [Boris Betteroff]

  No comments. :(

• [glamaFez]

  I was on edge wondering how that would play out. Jerry didn’t see the bullet coming, and neither did I. Jeepers, Worth…that’s a scary tale.

• [Anonymous]

  Wow,
  The day of the locust in less than two pages.
  Nice writing.
  I think I need to cry.

• [Neal Deesit]

  @ Shunra 11:43 on Thu, Jan.21

  “The thing is, Stephen, I don’t believe you.”

  The thing is, Shunra, believe it or not, Charles Phoenix, Kodachrome king, related this story years ago.

• [Rich Keller]

  There’s all sorts of sadness in this story. Jerry was doomed to never having a normal chimp life the instant they anthropomorphized him.

  Euthanasia isn’t always about ending the life of something because it’s suffering. Often it’s done because the animal is unwanted or has become something that is beyond the abilities of the owner to take care of. Shelters are full of animals about to be destroyed because their owners no longer want them. Dropping dogs or cats off at a shelter that kills them isn’t much different than what happened to Jerry. Jack Dutton and the cop were more direct about it.

  Hopefully, if this were made into a movie, they’d use a CGI chimp.

• [ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive]

  The photo at the top of Jerry smoking a pipe in the Jungle is from a postcard sold in The Palms’ gift shop. The newsreel footage is probably from around the time that The Palms was being built. I’ve been searching for a photograph of Jerry driving the car. I think it was in either Life or Look around 1955. If anyone has a copy and can scan it for me, I would greatly appreciate it.

• [technogeek]

  Remember, “strength of several men.” That isn’t an exaggeration. And chimps tend to become more assertive/aggressive with age, in addition to having about as much social restraint as a child. Even folks who work with and love chimps will tell you that you really can’t go off your guard with them.

  (There’s a quote I ran across years ago, which I can only paraphrase now, where a researcher was describing how he’d lost a finger. The chimp got angry over something, grabbed him, and bit it off. “He was sorry as hell afterward. But the damage was done.”)

  These days there’s a shelter specifically for humanized apes who have outlived their acting careers. But that’s a recent development.

  Given the options available at the time… I honestly don’t think humane euthenasia was an unreasonable one. Given a choice I’d prefer the lethal-overdose-of-anaesthesia approach, but a shot to the back of the head at close range is probably fast enough to be considered painless.

  Yes, the best answer would have been not to create the situation in the first place. But unfortunately it’s still not uncommon for folks to get a wild animal as a pet when it’s young, cute, cuddly, and managable… and forget that it’s going to grow up to still be a wild animal, which they don’t have the expertise to manage, and which would take a major commitment even if they did. Zoos get a fair number of calls asking them to take these creatures off their owners’ hands, and can rarely do so because teaching them how to survive in a zoo setting would be more expensive than can be justified, much as they might wish to do so.

  Part of what makes Born Free *still* such a good read is that it’s still so extremely rare that someone has the courage, the patience, and the resources to help an animal make the transition not just to zoo, but back to the wild.

  (BTW, if you haven’t read Born Free, you really owe it to yourself to do so. It’s remarkably well written as well as being a crackingly good story, informed with a deep understanding of African wildlife in general and, of course, lions in particular. These days it’s easiest to find the omnibus edition which includes the sequels following the later history of Elsa and her family… but the first is the one that will blow you away.)

• [Anonymous]

  you can read about another humanized chimp- nim chimpsky.

  another tragic, gripping story. (and writen very well)

  http://www.amazon.com/Nim-Chimpsky-Chimp-Would-Human/dp/0553803832

• [dofnup]

  No no no no no. As soon as I read that he made Jerry dig … I knew. I wanted to stop reading and run away … but I already knew, not reading it wasn’t going to change it. No, no, NO! Why??! I have to go now, since I am at work and it is highly unprofessional to be found sobbing hysterically at my desk T_T

• [Anonymous]

  More details on this topic from a 2003 op/ed at http://www.ocweekly.com/2003-10-30/columns/this-monkey-s-gone-to-heaven/.

  I’m surprised there’s no Wikipedia entry on either Jerry or Jack…

• [ioksotot]

  Living in CT, where a “humanized” chimpanzee went “ape-shit” and bit off the hands and most of the face of a woman (see Oprah) it seems that those that interacted with Jerry were fairly lucky…stupid humans and their anthropomorphism….

• [ill lich]

  Makes me feel like going out back and digging a hole. . . .

• [HeruRaHa]

  And then there was this guy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_%28chimpanzee%29

• [Nevermore]

  When will people learn that animals shouldn’t be treated as humans…? Sad story, all in the name of greed.

  Can picture #8 be Jerry? It’s dated Jan 01, 1950 though.
  http://www.life.com/image/81599086/in-gallery/22445/chimps-do-the-darnedest-things

  Don’t miss out #6!

  • [ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive]

    Can picture #8 be Jerry?

    I don’t think so. Now that I think of it, I believe the picture was on the “Last Look” page in Look magazine, not Life. Thanks for those great chimp pictures though! I bookmarked ‘em.

• [Tom]

  This video was made about Jerry, it is a “You Asked For It” TV segment made at the time the Duttons were building the jungle for Jerry.

  http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=fnhkq1&s=5&tag=chimp&hid=4

  The story of Jerry is one of love and loss. The story evolved in ways the Duttons could never have foreseen and hopefully will not be repeated by others.

  The Duttons moved from their home in Fullerton because the neighbors began complaining about them having a chimp. They bought an orange grove and built a jungle for Jerry to provide a home for him and his companions (animals). The property evolved into a private Zoo and was open to the public free of charge.

  Duttons Jungle Gardens has been called the first Anaheim tourist attraction. To help defray the cost of maintaining the jungle and keeping it free to the public Jack built a Japanese style tea garden for visitors. The tea garden turned into a hamburger stand and evolved into the Palms Restaurant.

  It became increasing difficult to protect the animals from humans.

  Some drunk gave Anna a baby elephant a glass which she took and tried to eat causing severe cuts to her tongue, requiring hundreds of stitches.

  People would jump the fence at night, cut the spider monkey cage to “set them free”. Most would stay in the jungle but those that did not were hit, injured and/or killed by cars on Orangethorpe and Raymond (East street).

  People teased and tormented the caged chimps. Punky was the wilder of the two caged chimps, he had bars on his cage. Joe as a baby chimp played Cheeta in the Tarzan series, his cage was of chain link. Jack acquired both of these chimps as adults, most people didn’t understand that full grown chimps are dangerous being many times stronger than a man.

  Kids took soda acid fire extinguishers from the adjacent Motel and sprayed the chimpanzees. Jack responding to the noise woke up and went to investigate the racket the chimps were making. Jack didn’t have time to put in his contacts so when he tried to calm the chimps he couldn’t see the hardness in Joe (the chimps) eyes and the chimp bit the tip of his index finger off.

  Someone smashed the glass cage housing poisonous snakes to “set them free”. Freeing them but that indecent resulted in a King Cobra being killed.

  One night Jack tried to catch someone who was in the process of cutting the chain link fence used to cage the spider monkeys. He jumped a fence during the chase and landed wrong shattering both his ankles leaving Jack wheel chair bound for many months.

  There was no Gorilla that got free, it was Jerry. Because of how Jerry was raised he could not be caged (he would go berserk). Jack arranged for handlers/caretakers to watch Jerry 24-7-365 however Jerry would escape from them and at times enter the Palms Restaurant. The Restaurant would call Jack to retrieve Jerry and take him home. Jerry would never intentionally hurt someone but there were instances where humans placed themselves and/or their children in dangerous situations.

  Jack found it increasingly difficult to protect the animals from the public and the public from themselves.

  It got to the point no insurance company would issue liability insurance unless he caged Jerry and eventually to get rid of all the dangerous animals. Having personal loans with the property as collateral liability insurance was a requirement.

  How Jerry was put down seems to be an issue with some. Jack was born in 1910, he was born and raised on a farm, it was how most animals were put down. Today it is not common for a pet to be put down in this manner, however it is still the most common method for putting down feed animals. It seems horrific to us in this day and age but for the animal death is instantaneous.

  “I think there’s a lesson in here for Michael Jackson and Bubbles”, exactly, it is why Jack went public with the details of Jerry’s death.

  As an elected official Jack voted for ordinances that would keep people from making the same mistakes he made.

  I talked with Jack shortly before his death at 92 years of age. He told me his biggest regret was humanizing a chimpanzee.

• [Another Aaron]

  Why did I not see that coming? Jesus Christ, what the h*ll is wrong with people? That was a sucky capstone for a sucky day. [sigh]

• [thegonzalez]

  That made water come out my eyes.

• [Anonymous]

  I agree http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_%28chimpanzee%29 Oliver the chimp is way more relevant. Just as some human beings are more chimp-like than others, some chimps are more human.

• [sazzamook]

  @ HeruRaHa – Oliver the humanzee!!! He did look a bit weird :D

• [EarthtoGeoff]

  This is a very sad, touching story the way you tell it. Unfortunately, the more I think about it, the more I like to think that Jerry was more human in nature than Jack Dutton ever was.

  This is the kind of crap that’s gonna bite us in the ass when the apes take over the world.

• [Anonymous]

  Is it wrong that the first thing I thought when they made Jerry dig a hole was, “Oh God, they’re going to shoot him?”

  Oh cynicism. Le sigh. What a sad story…

• [Secret Chimp]

  It looks like a part of the Palms in the Jungle still exists at 1010 Orangethorpe in Anaheim. It’s now a motel.

  http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1010+E+Orangethorpe+Ave,+Anaheim,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.572881,77.431641&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1010+E+Orangethorpe+Ave,+Anaheim,+Orange,+California+92801&ll=33.859493,-117.908385&spn=0.008589,0.018904&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=33.859499,-117.908123&panoid=r_ZfsvPjOwaXo0I2lLCbmA&cbp=12,201.03,,0,-3.38

  • [ronton]

    that image on google street view is the most depressing part!

• [Anonymous]

  When Jerry was puttering around the garden I started for some reason thinking about http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0129358/

• [AdrenalineSleep]

  Quick, someone send this to Karl Pilkington!!

  • [murrayhenson]

    Better not, he doesn’t like it much when animals get hurt. Remember the ants and the boiling water? He was in his contemplative mood for quite awhile and those were just ants.

  • [Anonymous]

    Monkey news!

• [phlavor]

  That just tore my heart out.

• [reval]

  Good lord! First King Kong, then the Xanax-crazed face-ripping chimp in Connecticut, then this. Could Dutton perhaps have breathed a little bit of pixie dust drifting from the Happiest Place? Surely he sold his land to Disney after dispatching the poor critter.
  Couldn’t that sale have been a factor in pulling the plug?

• [nanuq]

  “Supporting propaganda causes a loss of credibility, and that destroys communication. ”

  Propaganda is all around us and every communication source engages in it to some extent. Would his credibility be any greater if he had called it something else? The end result is still the same.

• [Anonymous]

  i felt sorry for the duck

• [LeSinge]

  I was so taken with the end of the story I forgot that I was going to comment on what an amazing menu cover (or is it a postcard) The Palms had. Gorgeous! (referring to this: http://www.boingboing.net/swpalmsmenudfh.jpg )

• [Anonymous]

  Funny I cant find that picture of the traffic ticket on the webs. I could just about swear I’ve seen it before…

  if this is a copyright obstruction, it is a good example of what is wrong with our system.

• [Phrosty]

  Heart-wrenching story. As one of the previous commentors mentioned, it resembles Of Mice and Men. I wasn’t expecting to read something like this today.

• [Anonymous]

  wow, i just watched the video clip. Our mores regarding captive animals have shifted; there is little doubt that there would be outrage if that movie came out today.

  Taking responsibility for Jerry had the potential to be a very serious responsibility indeed. I cannot really fault the owner for doing what had to be done. One gets the sense that Jerry could be very, very dangerous.

• [adamnvillani]

  So, was Jerry’s grave on the property where the office building on the corner is now? Man, that’ll be a confused bunch of workmen someday when they’re doing excavation and come across a chimp skeleton.

• [ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive]

  The thing is, Stephen, I don’t believe you.

  You should try to trust your emotions. If you don’t trust them, you can’t experience life.

• [Anonymous]

  That poor duck!

  Very sad story, but I was at a funeral some hours ago and no dead ape beats an dead uncle.

  I don’t understand, why the cop had to kill Jerry, sure there was no other place for him but his “dad” really shouldn’t have gone the “easy way”.

  Jerry knew nothing else, it would have been no harm to him, if he would have lived a few more years alone with his parents.

  There’s something, we all can learn from this story:
  YOUR PETS AREN’T HUMAN!

• [Anonymous]

  This is strange but true. Dorothy and Jack are my aunt and uncle. My sister and Jerry were raised like cousins. We have many pictures of my sister and Jerry eating, playing, etc.

• [T’Pau]

  Jerry was a man.

  • [Dead Tired]

    Nice comment, “Jerry was a man.” I’m surprised that no one else has mentioned it though the story was published a long time ago.

• [Anonymous]

  I get the feeling there’s an element missing from this story. If Jack Dutton had already made so many sacrifices for Jerry, up to and including shutting down his business, he’s not going to shoot his beloved companion on a whim. Nor would a policeman casually participate in such a killing.

  Was Jerry ill? Was Jack just not financially capable of caring for him any more? The motive seems omitted for shock effect.

• [Nixols]

  Charles Phoenix told this story in his 2001 book “Southern California in the ’50s” and it was a “slide of the week” in 2006.

  http://www.charlesphoenix.com/2006/08/the-jungle-anaheim-ca-1959/#comments

• [econobiker]

  There was/is? a Tiki architecture related book that documented pictures of the Jungle Gardens both from in operation and then later as the gardens were dismantelled in pics that seemed like urban adventure types before that was chic.The book also had pictures of the remaining restaurant and Tiki details still on the building. I am not sure what book it was or if it predated the internet era. It seemed to have more on the Jungle Gardens and Palms than found on the various websites linked here and on Tiki Central. The book didn’t mention Jerry though.

  Sad.

• [Anonymous]

  I know how Jerry felt.

• [Anonymous]

  thank you for this. i used to live just three blocks from there and i had no idea. i think i even know the trailer park he moved to.

• [Anonymous]

  Since I live just about exactly where the X is on the map, I’d like to thank you for filling me in on a deeply depressing bit of local lore.