(Esc)ape(ology)

Of all the great apes, orangutans always look like they are having the most fun. With the possible exception of the dwarf breed that spends its days balancing precariously on David Caruso's head, as it is inevitable that they absorb some of his relentless grump. The cheerful demeanor is primarily to do with their habit of wandering around waving their arms about like an amused child with learning difficulties whilst simultaneously looking like they want to kiss you. The song and dance routines are also contributory. Now we've all seen 'Rain Man', so it comes as no surprise that despite appearing delightfully retarded, they are also pretty clever. Take this chap, who short circuited his electric fence with a stick then hopped over it and started piling objects against the next one in order to make his final escape. Alas that's when the orange one's main character flaw kicked in. Laziness. He just couldn't be arsed any more. So back he went, waving his arms around like he'd won the world-cup.

Imagine if Steve McQueen had been that lazy. "Nah it's alright fellas I'm just going to go back to my cell, bounce my ball a bit and wait for dinner. You go ahead. Good luck Gordon"
"Thank you...oh fuck".

They're not all like Karta though, here is a particularly enthusiastic fellow called Ken who would escape from his enclosure purely to have a wander around the park looking at the other exhibits. King of the minglers you might say. He became so popular that he had the ultimate accolade bestowed upon him: his own range of bumper stickers. Amazing how much more adorable you seem to other species if you can stop yourself from ripping their faces off. I bet Travis the chimp is kicking himself.