The Whipsnade Zoo had its breeding pair of Indian rhinos, so their young daughter was for sale. Milwaukee’s Director wanted the animal. The only question was: Could he locate a mate for her? Luckily, the Basel Zoo in Switzerland had a young male rhino, in fact, the very first Indian rhino born and raised in captivity. The Basel Zoo would sell him so that Milwaukee would have a pair. The young rhino from Switzerland was shipped by air to England to get acquainted with his intended mate and to await the long trip across the ocean.
Meanwhile, George Speidel kept busy, visiting zoos, viewing animals, evaluating Milwaukee’s needs, checking the ages and conditions of animals available for sale, and occasionally, making purchases. Finally, after several weeks, he arrived in Hanover, Germany. His trip was almost over. It had been very successful, and Mr. Speidel felt no urgency to make further purchases. It would be pleasant, he thought, to visit the Hanover Zoo as an ordinary zoo-goer, and simply watch the animals.
Then he came to the Primate House. In a large corner cage, a creature with long, lustrous black fur sat with its back to the public. SIAMANG GIBBON (Hylobates syndactylus) read the sign next to the cage. (The name Hylobates, which means “wood-walker,” refers to the genus of gibbons. Syndactylus, the species name that identifies siamangs, refers to the webbing between siamangs’ toes.) Mr. Speidel wanted a better look at the animal. He cleared his throat, cupped his hands around his mouth, and let out the best possible human imitation of a siamang whoop.
The animal turned its head, then brachiated quickly over to the front of the cage and hung there, staring intently at the strange caller. George Speidel had come face-to-face with Unk.
At once the Zoo Director knew he wanted this siamang for Milwaukee. Was Unk available? The Hanover Zoo was willing to sell him. Although Unk was a popular attraction, all attempts to find him a mate had failed. Nowhere in Europe, it seemed, was there a young female siamang. The Hanover Zoo wanted to use Unk’s cage to house a breeding pair of primates.
Now Mr. Speidel had a real dilemma. He wanted Unk for Milwaukee. But he had made himself a promise not to buy animals that would spend their lives in unnatural solitude. He thought about the poor record zoos had with siamangs: Countless animals died before reaching maturity. Others barely existed, sick, unhappy, and alone. The number of recorded births of siamangs in zoos was pitifully small; never had a baby survived more than a few days. He thought about the survival problems wild siamangs faced. Their forest homes in Malaya and Sumatra were being destroyed in response to the needs of growing human populations. The possibility that siamangs would soon be extinct in the wild seemed very real.
Then he looked at Unk. And the decision was made. Mr. Speidel would buy the siamang. Somehow, somewhere, the Milwaukee Zoo would find a mate for Unk.
Unk was to be flown to England and then sent by ship, along with the two Indian rhinos, to the United States. Unk, however, expressed strong disapproval of the plan. He was obviously comfortable and happy in the cage that had been his home for several years and saw no point in exchanging it for a small travel cage. Although Unk weighed only one-third as much as one of his handlers, the seven-year-old siamang was very strong. Besides, he was far more agile than the zookeepers, and had bigger, sharper teeth. He behaved so aggressively when he was being loaded into his shipping cage that Mr. Speidel began to wonder if he had made a mistake. Perhaps Unk had lived alone for too long. Perhaps he was too aggressive ever to live with another siamang.
