One of Joburg's best-loved citizens, Max the crime-fighting gorilla, will always be remembered through the statue unveiled at Johannesburg Zoo.

Professor Phillip Tobias pays homage to Max the gorilla before unveiling the statue

MAX the gorilla, one of Johannesburg Zoo's most loved animals, has been immortalised in a statue. Children from Bathabile Primary School witnessed the unveiling of the statue at the zoo on Friday, 23 May.

In 1997, Max attacked a criminal who tried to escape the police by jumping into its enclosure. Max was shot twice by the villain, but inflicted considerable damage to the interloper, who it saw as a threat. The gorilla became an instant celebrity, while the man was later convicted for rape, robbery and wounding a gorilla. He got a 40-year sentence.

The larger-than-life statue, depicting Max in a typical sitting position, is the work of artist Lawrence Tait, who also created the Jock of the Bushveld statue in the zoo's farmyard.

The gorilla died from congestive heart and renal failure in May 2004 at the zoo. He was 33 years old. A mountain gorilla, Max came to Johannesburg Zoo from Germany's Frankfurt Zoo as a two-year-old in 1972.

Speaking at the unveiling of the statue, Witwatersrand University's Professor Philip Tobias hailed Max as the "greatest and most unusual gorilla".

"It's a marvellous and unique occasion and every zoo in the world would envy the Johannesburg Zoo for having had a gorilla that had character in its own right, " he said.

Tobias said the University of the Witwatersrand in 1959 made an agreement with Johannesburg Zoo that the remains of animals that died in the zoo, would be given to the department of anatomy to build a collection.

Primates
Another one its primates made headlines in the late 1950s. Bongo, the chain-smoking chimpanzee, was shot by zoo's staff after escaping from his cage.

Professor Phillip Tobias unveils the statue of Max the gorilla

Gorillas are the largest living primates. Males weigh between 140 and 180 kilograms; females weigh about 90 kilograms. In the wild they form fairly permanent, stable groups of five to 10, although sometimes up to 30 animals. One adult male, called a "Silverback", keeps the group together through the bonds formed between him and each female. This type of bonding is unusual in primates.

Gorillas eat leaves and stems rather than fruits. They also prefer herbs, shrubs and vines. Usually one baby is born, rarely twins. Gorillas are found in the tropical rain forests of Equatorial Africa - in Cameroon, Congo and neighbouring countries.

Related stories:

• Sorrow as Max the gorilla dies
• An obituary for legendary Max
• Join Max in making your mark on the zoo