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| Bruno St. Paul Katie may have seen him at the Como Zoo years ago (Photos by Stan Rolfsrud) |
The sign at the Red Ape Rainforest Habitat in the Los Angeles Zoo says that orangutans are patient problem solvers, intelligent decision-makers capable of using tools. Zookeepers routinely set up problems to challenge these gentle creatures.
The big guy out there is 31-year-old Bruno, born in a Minnesota zoo. Weighs 300 pounds. Not sure when he arrived in this pleasant climate, but our favorite son has managed to make a name for himself in this star-crazed city.
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| Look closely, there's a Baby On Board Don't know if Bruno is the father. Could be. |
Not long ago, Bruno broke out of the Red Ape enclosure located in the middle of the zoo property. He took off on a 25-minute jaunt, scaring the bejesus out of observers and getting enough media attention to make a Hollywood press agent drool on his I-pad.
Bruno's escape prompted a brief evacuation, but no one was injured and he was captured shortly after the break, at large just long enough to crank up the star-maker machinery.
Bruno was never aggressive and allowed a handler to inject him with a sedative. Just enough for a good buzz.
Zoo officials were not sure whether Bruno made the hole in his wire mesh enclosure or if the wire broke some other way. Orangutans are very bright, crafty and have the ability to use tools, zoo officials said.
"He was just in a place where he shouldn't have been."
Makes Minnesotans real proud. Don't fence us in, liberty, freedom and all that. Kathleen chatted up one of the docents seated in front of the exhibit this week. She learned that ever since The Great Escape, whenever Bruno is out in public view, someone is watching him. Yes, Bruno is now under constant surveillance.
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| "And then, I pulled the netting over just like this, revealing the opening I had cut out earlier, by using the calf-bone knife I shaped with a flint-stone chisel. I tip-toed up the rope and just eased myself through the hole. You can read the rest in the LA Times." |
