Master Pongo: A Gorilla Conquers Europe

In the summer of 1876, Berlin anxiously awaited the arrival of what was billed as “the most gigantic ape known to zoology.” Described by European explorers only a few decades earlier, gorillas had rarely been seen outside of Africa, and emerging theories of evolution only increased the public’s desire to see this “monster with human features.” However, when he arrived, the so-called monster turned out to be a juvenile male less than thirty-two inches tall.

Known as M’Pungu (Master Pongo), o...