Ken Allen

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Ken Allen (* 1971 in the San Diego Zoo ; † 2000 there ) was the name of an orangutan that became popular with the general public .

Life

Ken Allen was born in captivity at the San Diego Zoo . He had five siblings, his parents came from Borneo (see Borneo orangutan ). In the 1980s, he apparently managed to break out of the zoo three times in a row. His ability to outsmart the zookeepers, but also his docility after being found, made him popular in the media .

The successful escape breakouts earned him the nickname The Hairy Houdini in reference to the escape artist Harry Houdini . Numerous fan clubs were formed which sold merchandising with Ken Allen's likeness and propagated the slogan Free Ken Allen . The musician Dennis Gersten dedicated his own song, The Ballad of Ken Allen , to him .

Ken Allen fell ill with cancer in December 2000 and the zoo put him to sleep. He was 29 years old.

Attempts to escape

Ken Allen made three successful attempts to escape. On June 13, 1985, July 29, 1985, and again on August 13, 1985, he broke out of his enclosure and then walked around the zoo. He was not aggressive towards other animals, zoo visitors, or zoo keepers. For a long time the latter were at a loss as to how he had managed to overcome the security mechanisms in his enclosure.

Ken Allen noticed the zookeeper's attempt to watch him openly or disguised as a tourist and temporarily stopped his attempts to escape. Ken Allen later encouraged the other orangutans to try to escape. The zoo eventually had to raise US $ 40,000 to equip the entire enclosure with new security measures.

proof

  1. ↑ Alexandra Silver: Top 11 Zoo Escapes . In: Time . June 24, 2013 ( time.com [accessed October 18, 2015]).
  2. ↑ Tony Perry: San Diego Zoo's Beloved Escape Artist Ape Dies . In: Los Angeles Times . December 2, 2000, ISSN  0458-3035 ( latimes.com [accessed October 18, 2015]).
  3. ↑ Kathie Bozanich: Los Angeles Times: Archives - Aping an Escape Artist 2 Orangutans Follow Mate's Footsteps and Go 'Awall' From Zoo Enclosure. In: pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved October 18, 2015 .