The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

[Ken <kenzo AT free-music.com>]

From:
http://webcenter.newssearch.netscape.com/aolns_display.adp?key=200206150505000187333_aolns.src

Buddhist Funeral Rites Held for Ape 

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - June 15, 2002 - They flocked to his extravagant 
wedding, avidly followed his spicy love life and on Saturday came to bid 
farewell to Mike, Thailand's celebrity ape.

Thai fans by the hundreds arrived to take part in Buddhist funeral rites for 
the gentle orangutan who died Thursday at the age of 17 of complications from 
water in the lungs.

He is to be buried Sunday beneath his own statue in the Sa Kaew Zoo at 
Lopburi, 70 miles north of Bangkok, where he and his family were the star 
attractions for years.

``Mike has helped the province's economy a great deal. He attracted millions 
of baht (hundreds of thousands of dollars) and created lots of jobs for local 
residents. This is the best we can do for him to ensure his happy life after 
death,'' said Yongyuth Kitwatananuson, a local businessman who has promoted 
Lopburi as a haven for free-roaming monkeys.

Buddhist chants and a bathing ceremony, in which holy water is poured over 
the hands of the deceased, are to be held in the zoo.

Mike's wife Susu and offspring Lamyai will be present at the funeral, wearing 
black outfits provided by the zoo staff.

The orangutan first gained fame in 1995, when a matchmaker found him a bride 
from Taiwan after he lost his first mate.

Mike's lavish 1996 wedding with Susu drew hundreds of guests to the zoo. The 
ceremony followed Thai tradition, with the couple wearing golden clothing and 
jasmine garlands. Four human couples were wed alongside them. Yongyuth, the 
Lopburi businessman, built them a dream house.

Susu produced a son, Monsit, but trouble was brewing. Mike was moved to 
separate quarters because his handlers feared he was jealous of the attention 
given his newborn son and might harm him.

Mike moved back in with his family a year later. By then he had taken on a 
second mate, Mali.

Lopburi has been dubbed Thailand's ``Monkey Town,'' and is a haven for 
hundreds of monkeys who clamber around its buildings and temples.

Every year, Yongyuth offers the monkeys a feast of their favorite foods laid 
out on tables. The event is popular with Thai and foreign tourists.