“Sorry,” read dozens of replies. “We have never had much success keeping siamangs. They seem to be too delicate and sensitive to survive in captivity. Our last siamang died after only nine weeks. . . .”
For a while, it looked as if Mr. Speidel would have to give up his dream of breeding siamangs. He would have to be content with the knowledge that the Milwaukee Zoo had one of the few healthy siamangs in captivity anywhere in the world and that Unk seemed reasonably happy in the Primate House. But the, at last, a letter arrived from an animal collector in Seattle, Washington. “I have a six-year-old female siamang,” it read. “Suzy is a beautiful, healthy, gentle animal. I would like nothing better than to find her a mate, so I am willing to sell her to the Milwaukee Zoo. However, I have little hope that Suzy will ever become a mother. She has been raised by humans since she was an infant, and now she thinks she is human too. I doubt that she will even recognize another siamang as her own kind. . . .”
George Speidel, of course, had similar worries. But he was pleased to have finally located a suitable female gibbon, and so the deal was made. On March 31, 1960, Suzy arrived by plane from Seattle.
Suzy was a lovely animal. More delicately built than the male Unk, she was nevertheless well-muscled and strong. Her shining dark eyes gave her a gentle, intelligent look, and the conformation of her mouth gave her a permanently wistful expression. She proved to be in excellent health, as promised.
The Milwaukee Zoo staff quickly learned that Suzy’s personality was as pleasant as her looks. Although she could be playful, she was relatively quiet and even-tempered, never given to the aggressive outbursts that characterized Unk. All her actions--eating, drinking, grooming herself or her keepers--seemed dainty and calm. Above all, Suzy was incredibly affectionate with humans. She loved to be held or groomed by her keepers and would greet them with kisses.
Unfortunately, Suzy’s lovable nature was bound to cause difficulties. She apparently considered herself a human. It might require heroic efforts to convince her that she, like Unk, was a siamang. As a first step, Suzy was placed in a cage next door to Unk. The siamangs could see, but not touch, each other through a glass panel. It was hoped that Unk and Suzy would grow interested in one another and would shortly indicate a desire to live in the same enclosure.
Suzy and Unk seemed perfectly happy with their living arrangements. Each siamang went about its business as it always had. Each related in its own way to the zookeepers. The siamangs ignored each other completely. In those first few days, George Speidel spent many hours watching them. Finally, he thought, he had the two siamangs he wanted. Sadly, he wondered if he would ever have one siamang pair.
