Statue to honor Tacoma's famous gorilla, Ivan

Plans are in the works to honor Tacoma's most famous gorilla.

A bronze statue of Ivan the gorilla is expected to be unveiled this summer outside the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, according to zoo staff.

Ivan was raised by a local family that owned a pet store at the B&I shopping center in Tacoma. Ivan stayed with the family until he was too big, then he was moved to the B&I in 1969.

Visitors to the Tacoma store loved watching him and his human-like behavior. But several people objected to his display in the 1980s, putting pressure on the center to move him to better conditions. Ivan went to Woodland Park in 1994, and later that year was moved to the Atlanta zoo.

That move came after thousands of signatures were collected to “free” Ivan. Thousands turned out for his memorial when he died in 2012 at age 50.

Cox Media Group