Orangutan causes evacuation at Adelaide Zoo

AN ingenious 62 kilogram orangutan short circuited electrical wires and climbed a fence using a makeshift ladder in an aborted escape attempt from Adelaide Zoo today.

The elaborate plot by 27-year-old Karta got her to within metres of the public, and resulted in the closure of the zoo on one of its busiest days of the year.

The alarm was raised by a member of the public about 11am.

Zoo curator Peter Whitehead said Karta had twisted a stick into hot wires that encircled her enclosure, short circuiting the wires and allowing her to enter a vegetated area near the concrete and glass fence that separated her from the public.

She then piled up sticks, grass and plant roots and used them to climb onto the fence.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• orangutan
• zoo
• evacuation
• adelaide
• sticks
• fence
• customers
• closed

[viniciusb]

Fucking people and their fucking zoos. What a bunch of animals!

[dejawolf]

chimps are more agressive than orangutans, and not as smart.

[R00RAL]

@SprattyD This is sad but true, we humans are the greatest threat. Watch them close, because they are watching us, I'd really like to know just how inteligent they are?? Ive seen them use Canoe's in rivers, use saws to cut wood, use hammers to bang nails.

Just from observation, then of course you have trainers coaching them for public shows. Ive heard stories of Monkeys soak in volcanic hot soaks, only to kick humans out, have a burst in health & subsequent population growth.

[SeanGreenstin]

Fuck you zoo bitches! Give them more food, you dont feed them enough. they are not for entertainment ass hole, they are living things just like the rest of us

[IceYourPimpHand]

@viniciusb They'd die in the wild, half of them have been rescued or cannot physically keep up in the wild, idiot.

[MICHAELandJELL0]

Apes will rise. C:

[debra2995]

those people i love the great apes i think thair realy sweet i would love to get a hug from one of them

[KristaOrangutan]

@viniciusb Yes. Animals don't want to be in zoos.

[wolfywox]

For all those laughing that the little girl was worried that it may have been a meerkat that got out: She was probably saying that she didn't know if it was a large animal that could easily injure a person, or something small that was less of a threat. Regardless, meerkats are vicious little animals that won't hesitate to take off a chunk of your skin. Yeah, they're adorable. But they'll also attack a fucking snake for looking at it wrong.

[SprattyD]

@PurpleWolvyz Modern Zoo's are above just showing creatures off, talk to any keeper they are all passionate about their animals, I went to the orang-utan exibit at Adelaide zoo yesterday and the keeper there was so passionate about the conservation of these animals and the sad fact is many of these animals are so close to being wiped out by greedy humans for the invented concept of money so basically Zoo's might be the last place these animals will exist outside of text books :-( ..

[2degucitas]

Clever orangutan. Next time she will go to the food court and order a fruity slushee.