Ivan the gorilla, who called B&I home for nearly 30 years, dies
in Atlanta  Staff writerAugust 21, 2012   Ivan the gorilla,
arguably Tacoma’s most famous resident and a much-beloved
ambassador for the animal rights movement, died Monday at
Atlanta’s zoo.  The 50-year old silverback gorilla spent most of
his life in a steel and concrete cage at the B&I Shopping
Center, a circus-themed mall on South Tacoma Way, where he was
viewed with a mixture of fascination and pity by a generation of
shoppers.  After an emotional and internationally followed
custody dispute in the early 1990s, Ivan was moved to Zoo
Atlanta, where he struggled with mixed success to adjust to life
with other gorillas.  Ivan was at an advanced age for gorillas
and had been suffering from several physical problems, officials
at Atlanta’s zoo said. He died while under general anesthetic
for a diagnostic exam.  “He basically died in his sleep,” said
Dr. Hayley Murphy, director of veterinary services at the zoo.
Ivan’s Facebook page (yes, he has