In 1938 Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus were offered the opportunity to acquire a 600lb, eight year old lowland gorilla, called Buddy by his then owner, a Mrs. Lintz, who had taken in the gorilla from a Sea Captain acquaintance, after he had brought it to the USA. The Captain had been given the beast by African missionaries. Sadly either on or just after the voyage back to America, a disgruntled crew member threw nitric acid at the animal, horribly disfiguring the gorilla's face. The financially struggling Ringling Bros. saw the opportunity of a sensational new attraction, and eager to capitalise on buddy's size and gruesome facial features, dubbed him 'Gargantua the Great - The World's Most Terrifying Living Creature!'. The general public, possibly on the back of the film 'King Kong' were hooked and he was toured from New York to Los Angeles, saving the circus troupe from bankruptcy. In 1941 the circus found their 'Gargantua' a partner, but sadly they never mated or had offspring. After becoming ill, he died in November 1949. The skeleton of the 'other' King Kong is now on display at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.