[2] The zoo was closed in 1930, after cinema's transition to synchronized sound complicated the existing systems for using trained animals onscreen.

[3] The so-called Universal Oak Crest ranch zoo[4] located at the old Providencia Ranch[5] began with what would today be called a petting zoo of domestic animals (goats, sheep, a pig and horses)[4] and rapidly expanded to include a menagerie of wild animals, supposedly including "lions, tigers, bears, pumas, leopards, jaguars and other wild denizens of the tropical forests.

[8] As Carol Weld put it in 1939, “Among the oak trees, desert scenes, and other natural beauties to be found on the far outskirts of Los Angeles was established a good-sized zoo.

"[9] When Universal City held its grand opening at the current location (at what was then called Lankershim) on March 15, 1915, the dedicated zoo and arena for filming were a major attraction for the thousands of invited guests.

[12] Visiting dignitaries, such as Henry Ford[13] or the chairman of the Canadian Censor Board,[14] were frequently given tours and photo opportunities with the famous animals.

"[12] In 1916, someone brought a black diamond rattlesnake to the zoo; De Rosselli supposedly "performed the operation of removing the poison sack from its mouth and now it is destined to be an actor.

The troop of youngsters there include a leopard, three lions, four huskies, seven wolves, camel, cinnamon bear, and three goats, all under four weeks of age.

"[17] Circa summer 1919, the index of animals on the back ranch was "one tigress, 4 lionesses, 7 lions, 4 lion cubs, 6 leopards, 2 leopard cubs, 2 pumas, 2 bears, 10 wolves, 3 newborn wolf-puppies, 12 Malamute sledge dogs, 3 weaning puppies, 1 elephant, 4 camels, 1 baby camel, 4 monkeys, 1 orangutan (the world-famous Joe Martin), 1 hoot-owl, 1 cockatoo, 2 ducks, 40 pigeons, 24 chickens, 16 domestic dogs.

[20] Harry Carey found two bear cubs on his ranch that year and took them to Curly Stecker, "knowing that they would be well-cared for at Universal City.

She described it as "surrounded by a tall whitewashed fence with everything looking about neat as a pin…laid out with white walks, a large wire-enclosed bird house being the centerpiece of the place, [which contains] everything from canary-birds to a huge elephant.

"[32] Sometime before May 1930, the 26 lions were sold to a circus in Macon, Georgia, Brownie the bear was sent to Kansas City, and Jiggs the orangutan went to a zoo in San Diego.

[33] According to one source the end of the silent era doomed the zoo because it was no longer possible for a trainer to stand behind the camera and verbally cue the animals through their moves.

[43] De Rosselli, Stecker and Murphy all had on-screen parts in the lion-tamer romance The Man Tamer (1921) starring Gladys Walton.

He puffed ecstatically for a moment, during which time Skipper chattered and cursed, seeing that Joe had something which he hadn't, and at last he snatched the lighted weed and started in on it.

The robber monkey curled up in a ball of misery and alternately suffered from mal de mere [sic] and attacks of cramps.

[35] Diana Serra Cary was a child performer who appeared as "Baby Peggy" in dozens of short comedies produced by Century and distributed by Universal between 1921 and 1924.

We need to at least consider that Cary may be misremembering a moment from her youth, if not imagining an incident that never really took place…While this is a trivial exercise in chasing down materials, it does point to a larger problem.

[99][a] As mentioned by the library research team, primary sources and film history books[101][99] largely fail to validate Cary's narrative.

[108][109] Stecker's death certificate says that he died June 17, 1924, at Hollywood Hospital of myelogenous leukemia complicated by wild animal injury.