Zira was a chimpanzee scientist and a character of Planet of the Apes: Visionaries.
Biography[]
Zira was the head overseeing the newest captive humans caught in the latest hunt. She checked on Thomas to see how he was doing as he had been shot in the throat during the hunt. The chimpanzee noted that he was wearing pants and had heard that the hunters believed him to be an escaped circus animal. Zira didn't think of much of Thomas as the clothes were his only oddity before she left his cage.
Zira continued her rounds and gave one captive a lump of sugar when Thomas tried speaking but his throat was too damaged to articulate. Zira noticing this then offered Thomas some lumps of sugar but instead of accepting them, the human turned away in despair. Zira then resumed handing out the sugar lumps to the other occupants of the ward,
After Thomas ripped off his bandages and used his own blood to write that he could speak, the incident was reported to Zira who visited again with an assistant. Zira was curious to know how a man could understand her. When Thomas attempted to grab a pen from her front pocket, the gorilla handler interpreted as a threat and restrained Thomas who responded by stabbing the pilfered pen into the ape. Anothe gorilla proceed to knock out Thomas cold.
Several days later, Zira showed her superior Zaius the strange man. Zaius believed Thomas to be a danger considering he attacked one of the guards, but Zira was insistent something was special about the human and that he was intelligent. Her claims were dismissed by the orangutan, until Zira pointed to him that Thomas was awaken and was looking seriously at them. However Thomas's arrogant attitude caused the ape to further dismissive of the human and planned to arrange a brain operation on him.
When Thomas escaped from the research facility and was recaptured, Zira recorded herself on tape to note incident and that she would be conducting further tests on the human. When a troop of gorillas were preparing to drag out Thomas or "Pants" as they called him from his cage, they became distracted when one of the male captives began to make noise. They responded to him by entering the other man's cage and beating him down. In the commotion of the apes dropped a pen and pad near Thomas's cage.
Zira was the first to see what he did with the items and saw that he wrote that he was a man from another planet. Zira then took Thomas out of his cage, and provided him with clothes and began to interview him. The scientist still found it hard to believe that Thomas was from another planet but resolved to help Thomas prove his testimony by locating his missing comrades. To that end she called Mr. Digby to inquire him about his expedition into the Innerland and the men he captured. Zira then took Thomas to her car and drove him to the city zoo where Digby took them to see a brain damaged Paul LaFever.
Afterwards Zira called a meeting with the staff to report her findings. However her report was met with laughter about the so-called "space-traveler" but she nevertheless continued to explain that Thomas was from a world where humans evolved into intelligent beings instead of apes. Zira was adamant what she said was only the truth but Zaius considered her views on Thomas of only being a well-trained animal. Zira argued that he was an intelligent being, though Zaius prejudices against man caused him to still view Thomas as just another savage animal. Even when Zira pointed out he could write, Zaius believed that it was the result of training and not sentience.
Disgruntled by their obstinate thinking, Zira excused herself from the meeting though sardonically adding she expected apologies within a week. Before she left Zira was horrified that Zaius took the liberty to send Thomas to the surgical ward so that hie brain can be operated. The ape knowing full well that Zaius's surgery was just an excuse to remove such a find, ran as fast as she could to stop the procedure. Zira managed to reach the gorillas who were taking Thomas on a gurney and pleaded them to stop as Thomas was an intelligent man. Zaius following behind her tried to have the she-ape removed so that his operation could proceed. In the struggle, Thomas awoke and finally managed to speak shocking all present.
Later Zira went to see Cornelius to explain the situation bringing Thomas to his office in order to have the other chimpanzee arrange a meeting before the scientific congress. Zira managed to convince her fiancé to speak with Thomas to decide his fate. Cornelius agreed though was given a dirty look when he suggested they whistle to Thomas to come into the room.
Once Thomas existence was made public to the ape world, and was recognized as an equal and given his freedom, Zira took him on a tour of the local museum. The trip turned disastrous when he saw Dodge's stuffed corpse mount on display. Thomas was so angered that he ran to the zoo where hie friend LaFever was being held but was in despair when he saw the cage empty. Zira having followed him comforted the human, telling him that his friend was fine and being cared for in a hospital and that Dodge's body would be removed. Though she inquired if Thomas's museums on Earth did the same to animals they killed which he confirmed but it brought him no peace.
Zira and Thomas then went on to discuss the evolution of intelligent ape, in which ape was believed to have evolved from human. Thomas doubted the hypothesis due to its incredulity to the thoughts that apes could rise to ascendance over man. But Zira explained to him that humans never progress beyond the most primitive existence. When asked why Zira participated in the industry of killing humans, Zira explained that it was necessary due to humans reproducing quickly and being a threat to the apes agriculture hence the weeding process of the hunter parties.
Later at night, Zira and Thomas dined at a fancy restaurant when she was told that there was a call for her. The chimpanzee left Thomas briefly and during which he gotten himself so drunk that Zira had to call a taxi to help him get him back to his apartment. Despite his new surroundings Thomas believed he was better off in a zoo due to be considered a spectacle.
Since then Thomas took a wild human woman named Nova from the research facility as a lover and the two had begun living in his apartment. Zira along with Zaius were invited for tea at Thomas's residence. While Zira was more accepting of the situation and relationship, found herself in the irreputable company of the orangutan who could not hold back his disparagements of the couple. When the two lover returned, Zira was profoundly stunned when Nova elegantly served tea to Zaius and asked him if he wanted any sugar.
Zira and Cornelius managed to track Thomas down to his downed launch after Zaius plotted to assassinate him at a dig where ruins of a huma city were discovered. The chimpanzees wanted to help Thomas escape and Zira made arrangement to get Nova to safety and out of the city, promising to Thomas that she was with her people again. Zira urged him to flee using his vessel, but Thomas told her it was impossible due to the age and disrepair. Zira though told him not to give up as they could help him escape to the wild with the other humans.
The ape couple used a helicopter to hand Thomas close as they could and for their efforts Zira received a kiss to her brow. However Thomas had seemingly halted his flight upon the sight of something when Zaius and his apes arrived to kill him. Despite Cornelius and Zira's pleas for him to run, Thomas remained motionless as he was shot by Zaius's gorillas. Zira sadden looked at Thomas and cried as to why he did not run, not knowing the significance of the remains of the sight that captured Thomas's mind: the remains of the Status of Liberty.