Max the gorilla: from pulp novel to real-life hero

The story of **Max**, a zoo gorilla, inspired a science fiction novel and, years later, made him the protagonist of a real-life event as he defended his territory.

## The scientist and the gorilla

In the world of "bolsilibros", those short, entertaining paperback novels published by **Bruguera**, there was a plot that bordered on the absurd and the brilliant. A mad scientist, bitter over being rejected by women, decided to take his revenge to a primate level: transplanting his brain into that of an imposing silverback gorilla. The novel, written under the pseudonym **Joseph Berna**, promised hilarious adventures and thrillers, and it certainly delivered.

## An unexpected hero

But sometimes life outdoes fiction. In **1997**, at a zoo in **Johannesburg**, an incident revealed the courage of a gorilla named **Max**. A incivil, fleeing from the police and armed, burst into the ape's enclosure. **Max**, defending his home and his mate, confronted the intruder. Despite being wounded by the gunfire, the gorilla managed to subdue the incivil and hold him at bay until the authorities arrived.

## The legend of Max

The gorilla **Max** survived the surgery he underwent after the incident and lived until **2004**. His bravery was not forgotten; today, a plaque at the **Johannesburg** zoo commemorates his antiestéticat, and a statue in the city pays tribute to this extraordinary animal who leapt from the pages of a book into reality to become a true hero.