By last night the 180kg giant was peacefully sleeping off the effects of the general anaesthetic in his night room at the back of his enclosure at the Johannesburg Zoo, his anxious 120 kg "wife" Lisa and equally concerned zookeepers watching over him. It had been an eventful, traumatic day.
The drama began about 9am yesterday when Aubrey Dickman of Saxonwold accosted an alleged burglar at his Lystanwold Road home. The man produced a firearm. Mr Dickman sounded the alarm, and the "burglar" ran off in the direction of the zoo.
There, he made the mistake of jumping over a wall - and found himself staring into the face of one of South Africa's most famous animals, a 180kg lowland gorilla called Max. When the dust settled, the gorilla had been shot three times, the suspect had been shot and seriously injured by the police and two terrified policemen had been bitten the enraged animal.
When Max tried to defend his turf and his partner Lisa (they tied the knot in a jungle-style wedding ceremony in 1993), all hell broke loose. In the scuffle that followed, Max bit the suspect who in turn fired three shots with a .38 special revolver, hitting Max in the chest and neck.
It appears the police then shot the suspect "in the groin", said zoo spokesman Jacqui Thompson. Moments later, three policemen entered the back room of the gorilla's enclosure where the enraged primate turned on them.
Although Max was placed in solitary confinement a few years ago after seriously injuring a painter who was redecorating his cage, this was his first brush with the law. Police spokesman Inspector Mark Reynolds said Robert Tshabalala was bitten in an arm and buttocks while "Rassy" Raseemela, had a broken arm. A third policemen injured his ankle, in the melee.
As distraught zoo employees watched, Johannesburg's latest crime victim was shot with a tranquilliser dart and sedated at the zoo hospital.
Concerned zoo officials were unable to locate one of the bullets which they thought was lodged in Max's head and arrangements were made to have him rushed to Milpark Clinic for X-rays.
There were emotional scenes as the unconscious primate was gently placed on the back of a bakkie. One shaken veterinarian held Max's giant paw in two hands while another kept a drip steady above his limp body. Escorted by traffic and police cars, the hefty animal was driven to Milpark Clinic while wide-eyed motorists looked on. After being admitted under the name of Mr M Gorilla, Max was placed on the operating table in the casualty unit of this top private clinic, which offered its services at no cost.
Some of Johannesburg's finest doctors helped veterinary surgeons as Max was placed on the operating table. Within an hour, news filtered out that the bullet had entered and exited from his neck, thus accounting for the two wounds. Doctors said he was no longer in danger and he would be able to return to his enclosure shortly.
"He's a strong animal and we are confident he is going to be okay - everything is going to be fine," said veterinary surgeon John Larsen, adding that doctors had decided to leave the bullet in Max`s shoulder, since it would traumatise him more to undergo surgery.
Bed-ridden suspect gets 'gorillagram'
A Johannesburg radio station last night sent a visitor to the alleged housebreaker in hospital: a "gorillagram".
The man dressed in a gorilla suit was not bearing gifts, but a sign reading "We're looking forward to seeing YOU behind bars."
The suspect, recovering from his injuries at the Garden City Clinic in Mayfair, apparently did not respond.
