I watched the scene in front of me with a creeping feeling of fear. Dark eyes from the other side of the glass peered at me with, dare I say, amusement? The constant banging was becoming extremely unnerving. However, with all of these emotions coursing through me I was perplexed. I stood still and silently watched the creature.
It sounds as though I'm in the setting of a horror story with a gruesome creature. My situation was not exactly that. Currently, I stand in the St. Louis, Missouri, zoo. A day that was meant to be enjoyable was slowly turning into one of terror. For all of my lifetime, my favorite place had been the zoo. My particular favorite exhibit had been the orangutan enclosure. I liked the social animals because of their similarities to human beings. I always enjoyed watching them swing on branches or press their back to the glass while they eat. That is why I was stunned when I approached the viewing area.
Instead of seeing a docile creature lounging on the rock wall, I was meant with deeply scratched glass and the aggressor who was guilty of it. The orange primate stared blankly at the other visitors as it occasionally slammed its fist against the scuffed surface. There was something about the animal that made my stomach turn. It repeatedly ogled at the damage it had done then look back up at the people. I could hear the other people talk about the primate as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Suddenly, the creature stopped the abuse and headed further into the enclosure.
A few minutes had gone by and I began to let go of my worries. The other orangutans seemed to be enjoying the day by laying in the sun. A baby was climbing on the net and seemed to be enjoying itself by twisting the material. My worries came back full force when a woman announced that orangutan one was carrying something. Slowly the same animal before stalked back to its original spot. In its hand was a pointed rock that was about the length of a pen. My breath stopped as it and myself made eye contact. It began pounding the rock against the glass then examining the deep gouges it made. I couldn't understand why I was the only one who seemed to be concerned. Deciding that this was too much, I left the primate habitat and headed elsewhere. Although the whole day I felt it impossible to think of anything but the unusual orangutan. I found myself wandering back to the apes to stop in my tracks before reaching the latter half.
Curiosity finally took over and I headed back the enclosure. The first thing that I saw was the baby orangutan I saw earlier. It was very cute and was still persistently fiddling with the net towards the top of the exhibit. The crowd had died down for the better or worse which left me a full view of my current tormentor. The glass had more blemishes scattered across the glass with multiple pieces of rock by it. The source of my suffering stood with its eyes locked on mine. It put its human- like hands on the glass. I was shocked as the animal rammed its head into the glass. Powerful attacks abused the glass several times. The assaults stopped and it gave me a chance to examine the damage. The glass had cracked and resembled a spider web.
My legs couldn't carry me fast enough while I ran to a group of zoo workers. Much to my dismay, they assured me there was no way that an animal could break through the glass. The zoo workers told me not to worry and enjoy the rest of my day. Thinking about the employee's words made me somewhat regret my reaction to the animal's behavior. While it may have been unusual and disturbing, I knew there was not a way an animal could escape. I decided to walk back over to the exhibit and put my dilemma to an end. All the ape was doing was trying to get attention. It wasn't any different than the little one tugging the net. The beady eyes however still sent a chill down my spine. The orangutan didn't seem like it had moved an inch. The only difference was that it had stopped its assaults and had a strange expression. It seemed triumphant. The glass had no further damage at all, but even the other orangutans that were resting were now very active. I couldn't understand what changed with the animals until I noticed the black, wiry material scattered on the ground.
Wait that's not… no, it couldn't be that's impossible. Oh my god. The top of the exhibit that was laced with protective netting had been ripped to shreds leaving several gaping holes. The primates began racing up the trees at a vigor pace. The same ghostly eyes glared at me and it almost seemed it was smiling. It was never trying to break out. It was only a distraction. I spun around at a startled scream and saw a small, orange, bundle of fur run across the paved paths.
