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Stolen Gorilla Heads Home; Students Face Discipline

Tribune photo by JASON BEHNKEN

The gorilla, named Pickemup, was returned to State Vacuum on Thursday afternoon.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 29, 2009

Updated: 01/29/2009 04:31 pm

TAMPA - A mechanical gorilla's 22-hour ordeal at the hands of ape-nappers is over.

The 6-foot-tall gorilla was recovered this afternoon and police were returning it to its rightful home at State Vacuum on Kennedy Boulevard.

The gorilla, named Pickemup, was found in a room in the Smiley Hall dormitory at the University of Tampa, not far from the scene of Wednesday's crime.

The discovery came after campus security reviewed surveillance video following an anonymous tip that the gorilla was being hidden in a dorm room.

Two female students, as yet unnamed, are to blame for the gorilla's disappearance.

"The students did apologize," said UT spokesman Eric Cardenas. "It's just a poor decision by a couple of students."

The store owner said he won't press charges, but Cardenas said the students could face discipline ranging from eviction from the residence hall to community service or suspension.

"They will go through our judicial process on campus," Cardenas said.

Surveillance video caught two women loading Pickemup into a black, late-model Acura hatchback about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, store owner David Epstein said.

Different generations of the mechanical gorillas have waved at drivers for 35 years, but this is the first time one was stolen.

"We've had heads knocked off by drunks," Epstein said.

In a salute to the Super Bowl, Pickemup had been adorned in an Arizona Cardinals jersey and his gorilla partner, Suckemup, in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey.

The gorillas cost about $1,200 each. Each has a lifespan of about six years before wind, sun and rain send them into retirement. Pickemup is a new arrival, having stood outside about seven or eight months.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at njohnson@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7731.

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