Kala is the she-ape that raised Tarzan.
History[]
Tarzan of the Apes[]
Kala was the mate of Tublat and had a child with him, a young she-ape, who was killed by Kerchak during a fit of rage. When Kerchak and the other Mangani killed the English noble John Clayton (also known as Lord Greystroke) and his wife Alice, Kala took Clayton's infant son and brought him up as her own. Kala named the boy "Tarzan" which meant "white skin". As Tarzan grew up he was very close to his adoptive mother, but Tublat despised Tarzan and thought he was too weak to be a warrior or a hunter.
When Tublat viciously hunted down an enemy tribe of gorillas, Kala watched in horror at what her mate was doing. Kala intervened and tried to stop him but Tublat viciously attacked her, Tarzan intervened and fought Tublat to the death. Tarzan finally killed his hated adoptive father by stabbing him in the heart with his hunting knife.
Kala was later killed by an African native named Kulonga who had been hunting in the jungle one day when he fired a poisonous arrow into a terrified Kala's heart. Tarzan pursued the native as he fled in terror, fearing that the gorillas might find him, and eventually Tarzan killed Kulonga and avenged Kala's death.