Ep.10 -- The Great Ape Escape

Meet Fu Manchu, master of deception, world-class escape artist, and party guy. Oh, and Fu's also an orangutan. Ann tells Fu's joyfully mysterious story, and together she and Lisa try to pick the lock on Fu's mind. No one argues he fashioned an ingenious tool, but to what extent was he deceiving his captors? Fu Man Chu challenges human assumptions about other creatures' Theory of Mind, the ability to imagine what another creature is thinking and to behave accordingly. 

Want to learn more or watch any of the videos we mention? Go to ThisAnimalLife.com and click on Show Notes.  

Calhoun, Ben, “Fu Manchu,” Radiolab, January 2010.

Gaines, James, “This epic zoo escape story shows how fantastically smart orangutans can be,” Upworthy, August 2016.

Stockton, Paysha, "Animal tales: an orangutan escape artist, other stories," Seattle Times, September 2000.