I watched The Ape Who Went to College tonight on MPTV and ended up in tears. Chantek was raised under conditions such as no other orangutan has ever been raised. He learned sign language, played just like a human baby, toddler, and adolescent plays, and had experiences worlds beyond any ever had by any orangutan. When he outgrew his surroundings due to his size, strength, and curiosity, he was sent back to the research lab from whence he came and housed in a 5x5 foot cage with no real human contact except for when his foster mother and teacher would come to visit....and then they werent allowed to visit him any longer. He was kept in that cage for 11 years, for Gods sake! And then came the day when he was taken to a new, hopefully wonderful home, Zoo Atlanta. However, there he was eventually put in with other orangutans that he told his foster mother were orange dogs and more or less made to live just like other orangutans in a zoo setting. How could the people in charge, especially the second zoo director who came on line after Chantek got there, expect him to possibly live like that and be happy??? They dont allow him any of the things he used to have, including his ice cream and cheeseburgers, OR bottled water....and, of course, I understand why he theyre probably not good for him (except the water), but thats how he was raised! None of his keepers understand his sign language, something that I think is ridiculous and uncaring. It wouldnt take much to at least learn some of what he signs and give him some mental stimulation. In the beginning, he should never have gone to the university and into the research program to teach him sign language, etc.; it was wrong on so many levels! What did they think was going to happen to him as he grew older, stronger, and more mature as an orangutan? It reminded me of people who make pets of chimpanzees and are later shocked and horrified when the chimpanzee becomes impossible to handle and dangerous, or boa constrictors that grow to 12 and 15 feet long and then need to be rehomed in some zoo or put down. My heart breaks for this poor animal, no matter how intelligent he is or isnt, because he is not allowed to use the God given intellect he has that humans made even greater for him and then more humans deny him the use of it! That is heartbreaking and totally WRONG! These beautiful animals are not meant to be experimented on in any way, shape, or form. I find it hard to believe that Lyn could not foresee trouble for Chantek from the very beginning. While she might love him, she and the university did him a terrible disservice and now he has to pay the price for it by living beneath his intellect. Yes, Zoo Atlanta is a million times better for him than Yerkes research place, but the Zoo is still abusing him by not allowing him to use his intellect, not even to visit with his foster mother and his teacher on a regular, in person basis.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:34:02 +0000
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