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Animals & Wildlife

34-year-old orangutan learns how to tie knots, and now we're wondering what else he can do

Could an orangutan learn to braid hair? The people want to know.

Metro Richmond Zoo/TikTok

Patrick the orangutan is a knot-tying master.

We've all heard the stories about how intelligent the great apes are, the great apes being a family of primates that include chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas, and bonobos. There've been many famous cases of gorillas learning sign language, caring for kittens, or otherwise showing pretty astounding human-like behaviors.

Remember Koko, the famous gorilla who knew over 1,000 American Sign Language gestures? Her language proficiency may have been overestimated at the time, but she did help to completely change the way we view the intelligence and capabilities of the great apes. More recently there was Kanzi, a bonobo, who showed amazing proficiency at understanding and communicating with language. Kanzi once demanded the materials for s'mores, made his own fire, and roasted his own marshmallows!

The next famous great ape just might be Patrick the chimpanzee, a resident at the Metro Richmond Zoo.

orangutan, animals, zoo, great apes, monkeys, chimpanzees, animal intelligence, viral, funny, amazingPuffy cheeks called flanges are a sign of attractiveness and dominance in orangutans. Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

In a video posted to TikTok, the zoo notes that Patrick just turned 34. His zookeepers gave him a royal green cloak to mark the occasion.

If he looks a little different than you're used to, it's because Patrick has especially pronounced flanges, or puffy cheeks. Not all males have flanges, but the ladies dig them. So those big old cheeks are just one more reason Patrick is a total stud.

In the video, we see Patrick wrap the cloak around himself and tie it into a perfect knot. It's absolutely astonishing to watch. It's maybe less impressive than some of the greatest feats accomplished by Koko and Kanzi, but there's something so human about the moment. It makes you view these animals in a completely different light. Just watch him pull the knot tight and then double-knot it to make sure it won't budget. Amazing!

Watch the viral moment here:

@metrorichmondzoo

Patrick turns 34, receives a royal cloak, and then ties the perfect knot - because even jungle royalty needs a signature look! 👑🦧✨ King behavior. #metrorichmondzoo #rva #orangutans #patricktheorangutan


5 million people viewed the video and were left in awe. They were also left wondering: What else can Patrick do?

Commenters had some interesting ideas:

"Now give him a fitted sheet and see what he can do"

"why do I feel like he could french braid my hair better than I can"

"Has anyone ever hugged him and if so what was it like?"

People were jokingly convinced that Patrick could speak, but chose not to:

"100% believe the conspiracy that they can talk but dont because they dont want humans to know"

Patrick isn't the first orangutan to tie knots. They've been observed doing it in the wild, and their weaving and tying skills are considered an extension of their nest-building behaviors.

orangutan, animals, zoo, great apes, monkeys, chimpanzees, animal intelligence, viral, funny, amazingOrangutans have been observed tying knots in the wild without human instruction. Photo by Pat Whelen on Unsplash

But truly, what else can great apes do?

It was recently discovered that chimpanzees used medical plants to treat each other's wounds in the wild, in addition to using leaves to wipe themselves down after sex or pooping. This fits with the great apes well-known use of tools, but it also challenges the notion that humans are the only species that displays empathy and altruistic behaviors. Chimpanzees also have highly sophisticated memories and are capable of recalling specific events from years ago and even recognizing photos of themselves when they were younger.

Chimps and other apes have been proven to be able to perform basic math and some experts even say they have a photographic memory!

It's impossible to read all this and watch Patrick's intelligence on display without wondering whether great apes should ever be kept in captivity. They're so intelligent and capable of feeling, it seems cruel to keep them behind bars. But as conservation organizations have pointed out, many great apes simply can not be introduced back into the wild due to massive habitat loss. These creatures are endangered for a reason, and kudos go to the caring zookeepers who take care of them and help provide apes like Patrick with safe, enriching lives.

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Wellness

Successful Japanese business man has dedicated his life to saving cats in Fukushima's nuclear zone

Reuters/YouTube

When an earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused a nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, in 2011 most people who lived in the area fled. Some left without their pets, who then had to fend for themselves in a radioactive nuclear zone.

Sakae Kato stayed behind to rescue the cats abandoned by his neighbors and has spent the last decade taking care of them. He has converted his home, which is in a contaminated quarantine area, to a shelter for 41 cats, whom he refers to as "kids." He has buried 23 other cats in his garden over the past 10 years.

The government has asked the 57-year-old to evacuate the area many times, but he says he figured he was going to die anyway. "And if I had to die, I decided that I would like to die with these guys," he said.

Kato's dedication to animal welfare extends beyond the cats he's rescued. He also rescued a dog named Pochi, and he has gotten in trouble with the Japanese government for releasing wild boars from traps they set. He feeds the boars as well

Kato estimates that he spends around $7,000 a month on food, fuel, supplies, and veterinary care, which he funds from his own savings and profits from his construction company.

It's getting increasingly difficult to take care of the animals, though, and he anticipates it getting harder. One issue is that his home is falling apart, with rotting floorboards and damage to the roof and walls from another recent earthquake.

"It might last another two or three years. The walls have started to lean," Kato told Reuters.

He doesn't have running water, so he collects water in bottles for himself and the cats from a nearby stream. He uses a paraffin stove to heat the shed where he feeds the cats, and he drives to nearby public toilets.

Technically, he's not allowed to sleep in his home, though he is legally allowed to visit. He hasn't let that stop him from staying and caring for his cats, though.

The pet whisperer of Fukushimawww.youtube.com

Though Kato's family is disapproving of his chosen path, he has every intention of staying and fulfilling what he sees as his life's purpose.

"I want to be around when the last cat dies," he says, "then I want to die after that, no matter if it takes a day or an hour. I want to take care of the last cat here before I die."

Few people would make the sacrifices Kato has made to save animals, especially in a nuclear zone. As the area continues to be decontaminated, more of the 160,000 residents that fled the meltdown may eventually return. But for now, Kato appears to be content in the company of his cat kids and boar babies.

Here's to those special souls who have a heart for animal welfare, and here's to Kato for his perseverance and dedication in caring for these abandoned pets and giving them a loving home.

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Heroes

U.S. Marine veteran started 'VETPAW' to combat animal poachers in Africa

gritdaily.com

We have all seen videos of sickening and senseless violence that trophy hunters inflict on innocent animals and been so enraged that we want to book the next flight to Africa and put a stop to it. Well, meet the man that did.

U.S. Marine veteran Ryan Tate came across a documentary on animal poaching one night. "On the show there were some poachers, and instead of shooting the animal, they got a hold of a shootable tranquilizer. It doesn't make a loud gunshot noise," Tate told Grit Daily. "They darted a female rhino. She went to sleep and they hacked her horn off."

She woke up and conservationists found her and wanted to help, but she kept running. She was confused. She was scared. The rhino ended up bleeding out and dying." That was all it took for Tate to take matters into his own hands and do something about it. That was when he left his job at the U.S. State Department providing security for foreign diplomats and started non-profit VETPAW (Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife).

Tate used the connections he had made while working at the State Department to start working with the federal wildlife parks in Tanzania. He flew over and funded it with his own money. His first order of business was to find out what skill sets the park rangers possessed. He found they excelled at tracking animals, so he combined that with his military skills to create a training program. The rangers lacked the medical training necessary for an operation so far from a hospital.

"Not a single ranger knew first aid, CPR, nor had they ever seen a tourniquet," Tate said. "We had rangers dying of Malaria. It was unbelievable and so mind-blowing to introduce a tourniquet and antibiotics to rangers. We bring them medical supplies. Some of these guys didn't even have heels or soles on their boots. They had holes in them. We gave them our boots and we ran around in gym shoes."

Animal poachers in Africa are extremely dangerous and the rangers are often outgunned. It's been reported that a kilo of rhino horns is worth up to $65,000. The demand comes from East Asia, where rhino horn is seen as a medicine and a status symbol. It's met with international networks linking poor villages in South Africa with traffickers and then people who buy it. Law enforcement turns a blind eye and corruption continues.

As Tate explained to Grit Daily, "Wildlife trafficking is one of the top five international crimes. Rhino horns and elephant tusks are very much part of this. When you start messing with their bottom lines, which could be a million dollars for one horn, you get some very dangerous people who take notice."

Over the past year, Tate and his crew of over 30 veterans trained the rangers and patrolled up to 100,000 acres. They also work with local law enforcement to find poachers in nearby neighborhoods and have them arrested. If there is one group you don't want to mess with, it's pissed off U.S. Marines. So poachers, go home, re-think your life and save us all the trouble.

And if there is a "Coolest Guy on the Planet" award, I am pretty sure Ryan Tate is not only a nominee, but a heavy favorite to take home the hardware.

Visit their web site at https://vetpaw.org/ where vets can apply to join the fight. You can also make a donation, as well as sign up for a 10-day experience for which all the proceeds fund VETPAW.

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Nature

Jane Goodall speaks some hard truths to the people of China about the Coronavirus

Jane Goodall has been a friend to primates for decades. Her conservation work has inspired and moved people of countless generations, cultures and background. And through it all she's so often a voice of warmth and compassion in the face of senseless violence, cruelty and tragedy.

In a new video, Goodall directly addresses the people of China who finally seem to be coming up for air, literally and figuratively, after suffering through the world's first COVID-19 outbreak. And as one might expect, her video begins with a sympathetic and warm message of hope."It is a truly terrible time you are going through," Goodall begins. "And my heart is with all who are sick, all who have lost loved ones. I just hope and pray that the nightmare will soon be over."


But as any honest observer knows, the "nightmare" never had to become a reality. And that's where Goodall speaks some hard truths to the people of China, and those around the world, about animal rights. As Goodall explains, animals welfare isn't just a nice thing to do. Reforming our relationship with the animal kingdom is essential for our own survival. Most of us are familiar with the risks posed by global climate change, extinction and the destruction of natural habitats and wildlife. But beyond our compassion, Goodall explains that there is a real risk to taking too much from the animals of the world, stating plainly: "Our too close relationship with animals in the markets, or when we use them for entertainment, has unleashed the terror and misery of new viruses. Viruses that exist within animals without harming them but mutate into other forms to infect us with diseases like Ebola, SARS, MERS and now, the Coronavirus."

Thank you Jane Goodall for showing that there's a way to be critical of practices in China (and around the globe) without being racist or xenophobic. As the coronavirus is showing us for better and for worse, we're all one connected world and we have to take care of each other and the animals that share the planet we call home.

Watch the whole thing below:


Video message from Jane Goodall on Covid-19www.youtube.com


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