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[Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>]

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/40145.htm

CHIMP CHEETA PROSPERS IN RETIREMENT

By V.A. MUSETTO

September 13, 2003 -- THE hardest-working chimp in showbiz is spending 
his twilight years in California.

But life isn't as much fun as a barrel of monkeys for Cheeta, the chimp 
who starred in the classic Tarzan movies of the '30s and '40s, when he 
swung through the jungle with Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) and Jane 
(Maureen O'Sullivan).

At age 71, the retired chimp has been forced to give up his favorite 
pleasures - beer (about a case a day!) and cigars.

The suds stopped flowing for the 4-foot-6, 142-pound primate after 
animal activist Brigitte Bardot complained the brew could damage his 
health.

Cheeta's owner, Dan Westfall, says the chimp still gets to go to a 
drive-in restaurant, where he enjoys dining on hamburgers and Coke.

Cheeta is one of the most famous residents of Desert Springs, an oasis 
100 miles west of Los Angeles.

Tour guides say there is almost as much interest in him as in the old 
homes of local icons Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball.

Chimpanzees usually live to 40 or 45 in the wild, while those in 
captivity reach the mid-50s. But Cheeta - the world's oldest chimp - 
shows no sign of slowing down.

"He's in excellent condition," Westfall reports.

During his many years in Hollywood, Cheeta worked longer than any other 
trained chimp, who rarely act after age 10 because they become too hard 
to manage.

Cheeta's last screen appearance was in 1967, when he played oppositie 
Rex Harrison in "Doctor Dolittle."