Yes, we all still love and will never forget Harambe. But there is another primate you might want to keep your eye on.
That would be 12-year-old female orangutan Rubih. This animal has caught the eyes of many after her performance in a St. Louis zoo enclosure during the past few months. It has caused many to wonder just how much damage this orangutan can do.
Here’s what has people’s heads turned toward Rubih.
Zookeepers say the 12-year-old female orangutan repeatedly tapped and banged rocks against four 7-foot-tall windows over several months, causing considerable damage. The windows were replaced in mid-November and the exhibit is expected to open later this month, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Susan Gallagher, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said replacing the triple layer of glass with 3-inch thick acrylic required re-engineering the frames that hold them, plus caulking requiring three weeks to cure.
Zoo officials say Rubih even dug up cement from the base of a tree for her destructive endeavors.
Wow. You can’t teach that type of aggression.
But despite this unbelievable feat of strength, the folks in St. Louis want to hinder the efforts of Rubih.
The zoo’s ape care team taught the orangutan to bring them rocks in exchange for treats. But the ape started banging on the windows with rocks when zookeepers weren’t around, presumably to get someone’s attention for a reward.
Zookeepers now hope to train Rubih to drop rocks in a tube — regardless of whether staffers are around to reward her — and give her a treat if they later find rocks when they check the tube.
This seems like a bad move, in my opinion. Zoos across the country would love to have their orangutans have the aggression or strength of Rubih. She appears to be a once-in-a-generation talent.
And the $71,000 the zoo paid out of pocket to repair the glass might seem like a steep price. But with Rubih’s talents, it just might be worth it.
[Yahoo]