Staten Island Chuck

Coexisting alongside the 8.5 million people in New York City are the animals that have made the Concrete Jungle their home. This most obviously includes pigeons, squirrels and rats, but a plethora of other animals stalk the streets of the city. Some become so well-known that they eventually turn into symbols of New York themselves.

In a previous post, we took a look at some of New York City’s most well-known female residents, who live in bodegas, hotels and bookstores. Now, we’re covering 10 of the city’s most famous animals throughout history. (This, by no means, is an exhaustive list, so let us know your favorite New York-based critters, creatures and pets in the comments below.)

10. Pale Male, the Red-Tailed Hawk

Pale Male needs no introduction: the “world’s most famous red-tailed hawk” has plenty of fans in addition to his very own Wikipedia page. Born in 1990, he became one of the first “urban-dwelling” red-tailed hawks known to reside on a building rather than nestling in a tree or on a cliff. Due to his perch on top of a 5th Avenue balcony near Central Park, some of his neighbors over the years have included the likes of Woody Allen and Paula Zahn.

One of his zealous supporters was actress Mary Tyler Moore, who advocated for his rights when the co-op board that controlled Pale Male’s building removed his nest due to complaints about droppings and eaten animal carcasses. With help from other animal rights activists, Moore took a fierce stand, which prompt the board to come to an agreement between the local Audubon Society. Pale Male’s nest was eventually replaced, and over the years, birdwatchers and websites like Palemale.com have continued to monitor him.

9. The Ghost Dog of Prospect Park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPFQkc4aalU

For years, visitors to Prospect Park noticed a feral dog roaming around the grounds of “Brooklyn’s backyard.” Despite multiple reports, however, authorities were not able to track down the elusive canine, described as a black and brown Cane Corso.

Soon enough, he gained a fan base, and visitors called him “Brooklyn,” “Prospero” — and most notably,  the “Ghost Dog of Prospect Park.” NYPost even reports that regulars to the park would sabotage volunteers attempting to track him down. In May 2011, however, Prospero was finally after caught after four years. It was discovered that he tested positive for Lyme disease and had bone fragments in his knee. Following a recuperative stay at the Sean Casey Animal Rescue shelter, he was eventually put up for adoption with a Facebook calling out for a new guardian and experienced dog owner who would be “physically capable of handling him as well as emotionally capable of training him.”

8. Pattycake

Image via Wikimedia: GothEric

“New York City’s most famous gorilla,” Pattycake, was born in the Central Park Zoo in September 1972. As the first gorilla born in New York, Pattycake’s anticipated birth brought in thousands of visitors to the zoo, where she spent the first decade of her life. In fact, she was regarded as “child star” during the early 1970s, serving as one of the city’s most popular attractions. Her level of fame was even compared to that of Shirley Temple.

In 1892, following an incident in which her mother accidentally broke her arm, Pattycake was permanently moved to the Bronx Zoo. Unfortunately, she suffered from chronic heart disease and arthritis, and eventually passed away in 2013, at the age of 40. Her legacy, however, is forever memorialize in two books: Gorilla Baby: The Story of Pattycake and Gentle Gorilla: The Story of Pattycake.

7. Jim, Harry and Phil, the Peacocks of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine has many fun facts and secrets, among them three resident peacocks named Jim, Harry and Phil. A few years ago, we documented these birds, named after clergymen at the Cathedral. One even has his own Twitter account: @CathedralPhil, although he hasn’t sent an update since May 2016. It appears he was “sick and weak” according to a Cathedral employee and was being attacked by Jim and Harry, but has recovered and is “back to normal and stronger than ever.”

Peacocks have been a presence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine since the 1980s, donated by the Bronx Zoo. Jim and Harry, the blue males, arrived in 2002, and Phil, the white-feathered one, came after that. See more photos of them “strutting their stuff” on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine Facebook page here.

6. Topsy the Elephant

Image via Wikimedia

The tragic story of Topsy has gone down in history, thus making this elephant one of New York City’s most (posthumously) famous animals. Topsy was born in Southeast Asia around 1875, and was eventually brought to the United States, where she was part of the Forepaugh Circus. In 1902, however, she was sold to Coney Island’s Sea Lion Park (redeveloped later into Luna Park).

There, she was involved in several, well-publicized incidents, which prompted her handlers to plan a public hanging and charge admission for spectators. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals strongly objected this plan, stating that it was unnecessarily cruel. With the organization’s approval, park officials opted instead for death by poisoning, strangulation and electrocution. On January 4, 1903, the electrocution that ultimately killed Topsy was filmed and later released for kinetoscopes. That film still exists today.

5. The Pizza Rat

Remember, the determined rat who tried to drag a slice of pizza down a flight of stairs? He makes it almost all the way, then seems to get a case of the jitters and then dashes from the prize. Comedian Matt Little, who shot the video above, writes in the YouTube description “A rat tries to bring slice of pizza down subway station stairs OR Master Splinter bringing food home to feed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?” To which Second Avenue Sagas responded on Twitter: “But did the rat eventually get its pizza or not? The ending is a Sopranos-level cliffhanger.”

Following the incident, the video expectedly became an Internet sensation. Hilarious comments flooded in about the pizza rat not being a true New Yorker in his attempt:

4. Gus the Polar Bear

Image via Wikimedia: Marie-Lan Nguyen

Gus the polar bear was another iconic of the Central Park Zoo who was visited by over 20 million people during his lifetime. Throughout the 1990s, he was the face of the zoo and was prominently featured in advertisements and promotional posters.

However, in 1994, visitors noticed that Gus had developed obsessive behavior, swimming laps in figure-eight patterns for up to 12-hours a day. Patrons gave him nicknames like the “bipolar bear,” calling him neurotic and flaky. As part of his treatment, he was given Prozac, making him the first animal in history to be treated with such. Zoo officials attributed his abnormal behavior to depression, which was thought to have developed following the death of his partner, Ida.

In 2013, he had a poor appetite and experienced difficulty in swallowing food. In an attempt to determine the source of the problem, he was placed under anesthesia and veterinarians eventually uncovered a large, inoperable tumor near his thyroid. He was consequently euthanized at the age of 27.

3. Staten Island Chuck

Staten Island Chuck

Every February, New Yorkers can count on Staten Island Chuck (also known as Charles G. Hogg) to give a weather prognosis on Groundhog Day. Residing in the Staten Island Zoo, he’s regarded as the official groundhog meteorologist of New York City, and has a prediction success rate of 82% as 0f 2013 (26 out of 32 years).

Besides his official role, Staten Island Chuck gain notoriety when he bit Mayor Bloomberg in 2009. Due to the incident, he was replaced by his daughter, Charlotte, who served as the female “Staten Island Chuck” until Mayor Bill de Blasio accidentally dropped her during the 2014 ceremony, which many believe led to her death the following week. In 2015, Charlotte Jr. took over as the official groundhog meteorologist although the original Staten Island Chuck is thought to still be alive. He’s just retired due to the fear that he might bite again.

2. Hattie the Elephant

Image from Library of Congress

The biggest attraction of the Central Park Zoo was Hattie the elephant, who was described as “nearly human.” In an article published in 1904, The New York Times referred to her as the most intelligent elephant, even reporting that she understood English. Hattie was brought over from Sri Lanka by German animal dealer Carl Hagenback, who sold her to the zoo for $5,000. With training from Bill Snyder — the man who trained elephants for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus — she learned to play the harmonica and perform tricks. She was very loved, but sadly passed away in November 1922 after battling a week-long illness.

In addition to Pattycake, Hattie and Gus, the Central Park Zoo was also famously home to a “tiglon” named Charles who was donated to the city in 1938. Charles was the offspring of a female African lion and a male Siberian tiger, a rarer combination than the majestic “liger” (offspring of a female tiger and male lion).

1. Matilda III (Formerly at the Algonquin Hotel)

This list wouldn’t be complete without giving a shout out to Matilda III, the beloved, long-haired cat who formerly strolled the lobby of the Algonquin Hotel. We even had a chance to “interview” her in person (she actually “answered” her own emails!). She passed away on October 21, 2017. We learned of the news through a Facebook note posted by her keeper, Rosemary May Kenigsberg, who adopted Matilda after her retirement.

“Matilda III fell into a sleep today at the emergency vet clinic and did not wake up,” states the Facebook post, which was posted at 3:56pm. “Last evening she may have had a stroke, woke up with her hind legs very weak, then lost all control of her bladder. She did not want to be touched, her sister Miss Holley sat with her before we left and at the clinic she slipped away.” According to Kenigsberg, Matilda had kidney disease, and was about 11 or 12-years-old when she passed in her home in Duluth, Minn.

After seven years at the hotel, Matilda III, who arrived from the North Shore Animal League, retired from her post in July 2017. And while the hotel has had feline occupants since the early 1900’s, Matilda was certainly the most famous: she had dedicated social media accounts, had screen time on international television, and even received emails from human fans, who would visit her in person bearing gifts.

Next, check out a few of NYC’s pet cafes and get to know the Shop Cats of NYC. Buy the book Shop Cats of New York

on Amazon.