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Zoo Operator Apologizes For Racist Monkey Display Of African Man

Years later after displaying an African man in a monkey house at the Bronx Zoo, the operator has apologized.

In 1906, Ota Benga, a Central African man from Mbuti people in the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, was put on display for many days before uproar from local Black ministers fought to end the situation.

One of the ministers, Rev. James Gordon, "arranged for Ota Benga to stay at an orphanage he directed in Weeksville, Brooklyn," according to a statement. "Robbed of his humanity and unable to return home," Ota Benga killed himself 10 years later.

The Wildlife society released a statement saying, "We deeply regret that many people and generations have been hurt by these actions or by our failure previously to publicly condemn and denounce them," the statement said.

"We recognize that overt and systemic racism persists, and our institution must play a greater role to confront it. As the United States addresses its legacy of anti-Black racism and the brutal killings that have led to mass protests around the world, we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that social, racial, and environmental justice are deep-rooted in our conservation mission," the statement continued.

Photo: Getty Images