The Hamilton Zoo had a problem. Mumbo, the gorilla, was too ill to entertain the crowds that came to see him, and he was the biggest attraction. Something had to be done. The zoo’s directors enacted a risky plan.
They paid a man named Frank Johnson $200 to wear a gorilla suit and act like Mumbo. And, every day, Johnson performed just like a gorilla. He was so successful that attendance grew, encouraging Johnson to give more exciting performances.
One day he swung from a branch that stretched over the lion’s pit. The audience gasped as Johnson’s grip failed, and he fell into the lion’s pit. “Help!” “Help!” Frank cried, terrified. The lion leaped on Frank. “Quiet, you fool,” the lion whispered, “Do you want to get us both fired?”