Ken Allen was an orangutan at the San Diego Zoo. He was born there in 1971 and spent most of his life figuring out how to leave.He escaped his enclosure repeatedly throughout the 1980s. Not in a panic. Not aggressively. He would calmly climb out, walk along the zoo pathways, and watch other animals like he was a paying visitor. He never once showed aggression toward a single human being.The zoo spent over $40,000 trying to make his enclosure escape-proof. They raised walls. They added barriers. They hired rock climbers to test the enclosure for weaknesses. Ken watched them do it, figured out what they changed, and got out again.His only act of violence during any escape was personal. Another orangutan at the zoo named Otis was dominant and aggressive. Ken didn't like him. So during one escape, Ken walked over to Otis's enclosure and threw rocks at him. Then he moved on with his day.He became a folk hero in San Diego. Fans made t-shirts and bumper stickers. People would show up at the zoo hoping to catch him mid-escape.Ken Allen died in 2000 at the age of 29. He was never once aggressive toward a visitor, a keeper, or any other animal at the zoo.Except Otis. Otis had it coming π
In Album: Judy Gilford's Timeline Photos
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