The Great Animal Escapes Of 2009

[Are_grits_groceries]

Is it just us or are the animals really starting to revolt this year?

We've been fascinated by the surging number of animal escapes this year -- most in the last month -- so here are a few of our favorites!

5. Canadian Wolf-Dog Escapes Human Captor
A hybrid between a wolf and a regular dog has gone missing from Akseswane Territory in Ontario, Canada.

4. Karta The Orangutan Short-Circuits Electric Fence, Climbs Self-Built Ladder To Escape, Reconsiders
The ape, a 27-year-old female named Karta, jammed a stick into wires connected to the fence and then piled up debris to climb a concrete and glass wall at the Adelaide Zoo.

Zoo curator Peter Whitehead told reporters Karta sat on top of the fence for about 30 minutes before apparently changing her mind about the escape and climbing back into the enclosure.

3. Bull Escapes High School Event, Swims Across Delaware River Twice, Heads For Jersey
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/12/the-great-animal-escapes_n_201964.html

It's a zoo out here.

[xchrom]

1. jersey?! -- GO BACK!!! NT

[Buzz Clik]

2. Cockroach escapes to Texas to avoid spotlight.

Last seen here eating the glue from envelopes, chewing on spilled oatmeal, and hiding under the floorboards.

[JHB]

3. Karta speaks...

"Such a fuss! I just wanted to get a peek at what was on the other side of the fence for once."

[FourScore]

4. Dangerous animal, Dick Cheney, still roaming free. n/t

[Warpy]

5. Karta is pretty typical

I recall an article in Harper's some years ago that stated zookeepers often check new cages by trying them out with orangs.

If you leave a screwdriver in a cage with most primates, they'll look at it, bang a few things with it, get bored, and move on to something more interesting.

The orang will wait until you're not looking and use it to dismantle the cage.

We're finding out some of our cousins might be smarter than we are. Chimps are better at simple math. Orangs just might be better at mechanics.

Some day we might even figure out how to communicate effectively with them.

I just hope we're all still around.