1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff Lauren Vobebam. 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: Here Back in twenty twenty two, a fisherman off the 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: coast of Texas spied a puff of light pink feathers 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:21,640 Speaker 1: perched on one leg. It was a flamingo. Flamingos are 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: not native to Texas and Nora's Texas anywhere on a 6 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: flamingo's normal migratory path. After tweeting a video of the bird, 7 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: Texas Parks and Wildlife confirmed that the birding question was 8 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: one Pink Floyd, a flamingo that escaped Kansas Zoo in 9 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: two thousand and five. For seventeen years, Pink Floyd had 10 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:45,640 Speaker 1: traveled through Texas, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Louisiana as well a 11 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: free bird. There are no updates on it as of 12 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 1: this recording, but that Pink Floyd is not to be 13 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: confused with another flamingo on the run from an aviary, 14 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: the Pink Floyd of Utah's Salt Lake. Both of these 15 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: birds were able to assescape because their keepers hadn't kept 16 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 1: their wing feathers clipped, and they simply flew away. Today, 17 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 1: let's talk about some daring animal escapes. I will say 18 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: most of these stories have happy endings, but we do 19 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: discuss one injury and a few later deaths. Just want 20 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: to give you a heads up in case you frequently 21 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: visit does thedogdie dot com up or if like me, 22 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: you're a little bit on edge right now? Okay, okay, 23 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: first step, let's talk about the Saint Louis six. In 24 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen, six steers and Saint Louis were sent to 25 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: a slaughterhouse, but they were not about to go quietly. 26 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: Led by a huge steer named Chico, six of them 27 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 1: broke out, as supposedly agitated by the rumblings of an 28 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: approaching thunderstorm. Likely scared by their freedom and the ruckus 29 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: had caused, they ran through the streets of Saint Louis 30 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: for hours. They evaded everybody while capturing the attention of 31 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: the media, animal lovers, and the local community. Authorities eventually 32 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: rounded the crew up, but by then the public had 33 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: also begun a campaign for their freedom. A non profit 34 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: animal sanctuary called the Gentle Barn stepped in to negotiate 35 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: with the slaughterhouse, which gave them twenty four hours to 36 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: find the Steers a new home, and that they did. 37 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: The six were sent to a rescue until enough funds 38 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: could be raised to build a new facility in Missouri 39 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: especially for them. Although one bull, a named Spirit, had 40 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: to be euthanized due to injuries sustained during his adventures, 41 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: and another Eddy has since died, the other four, named Houdini, 42 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: Johnny cash Rue, and their fearless leader Chico, now live 43 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: happily as therapy cows at the Gentle Barn location in Tennessee. 44 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: Next up the Dania Beach monkeys of Broward County, Florida. 45 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty eight, fifty green monkeys escaped from the 46 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:57,799 Speaker 1: Anthropoid Ape Research Foundation or ARFF. Green monkeys are a 47 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: species with fur in shades of gray, gold and a 48 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 1: little bit of green that weigh only a couple of 49 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: pounds or about a kilo. The ARFF was opened in 50 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: the early nineteen forties in South Florida as a zoo 51 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: and provide primates from Africa for the research for the 52 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: polio vaccine. After the monkeys escape, some were captured, but 53 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: the others started lives in the Florida wild. Now, more 54 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: than seventy years later, scientists from Florida Atlantic University have 55 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 1: been able to trace a colony of thirty six monkeys 56 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,639 Speaker 1: thriving in the thick mangrove forest near the Fort Lauderdale 57 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: Airport to those remaining escapees. How partially because of that 58 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: green coloration, the researchers photographed every monkey at Dania Beach 59 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: and recorded various traits to help identify their species. They 60 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: also tested genetic markers and confirmed that the Dania Beach 61 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: monkeys are in fact descendants of those from West Africa. Today, 62 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: there's nonprofit the Vervet Project, whose goal is to build 63 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: a sanctuary for the monkeys to keep them safe from 64 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: human interactions. Of course, these monkeys aren't the only primates 65 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: to have broken free. The San Diego Zoo had an 66 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: orangutan known for pulling escape backs by the name of 67 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: Ken Allen. He first got out in nineteen eighty five, 68 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: scaling a wall and then strolling down the zoo's pedestrian 69 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,720 Speaker 1: pathway and taking in the sites before being walked back 70 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: to his enclosure, which wasn't very enclosed. Zoo staff increased 71 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: the height of the wall by four feet that's a 72 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,239 Speaker 1: little over a meter, but that didn't stop can Allen, 73 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: or the great Ape and even some of his ape 74 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: friends escaped an additional nine times. He was even known 75 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: to use tools to do it. When he was young, 76 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: he had unscrew the bolts of his nursery at night 77 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,040 Speaker 1: and then put the pen back together before his caretakers 78 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: arrived the following morning. One time, he and his roommate Vicki, 79 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: used a discarded crowbar that he found in his pen 80 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 1: to open a window. After several escapes, the zoo tried 81 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,680 Speaker 1: electric wire and even distracted him by att two female 82 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: rang attends to his enclosure. Nothing worked. Eventually, his female 83 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,599 Speaker 1: counterparts A Jane and Kumeng picked up the behavior and 84 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: made their getaway using a window squeegee. A Ken Allen 85 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:15,919 Speaker 1: died from cancer in the year two thousand, at twenty 86 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: nine years old. His status as a local hero long confirmed. 87 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: The Los Angeles Zoo has also had its fair share 88 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:28,280 Speaker 1: of animal escapes. Of Virginia, a wolf escaped numerous times 89 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: during the seventies and eighties by climbing trees and fences, 90 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: and Evelyn, a Western Lowland gorilla, escaped her living arrangements 91 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: at least five times. Evelyn was creative with her getaways, 92 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: as she successfully jumped off the back of another gorilla 93 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: to go over a wall and used overgrown vines to 94 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 1: pull herself up and over the wall or to swing 95 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 1: over the twelve foot mote. That time, she didn't even 96 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: leave the zoo perimeter. She just roamed around for a 97 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: little over an hour and was, according to the Los 98 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: Angeles Times, behaving like a huge child. Evelyn was born 99 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: in the Los Angeles Zoo in nineteen seventy six, and 100 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: she lived to the truly impressive age of forty six years, 101 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: perhaps partially due to her irrepressible personality. Today's episode is 102 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: based on the article Great Escapes five wild Animals who 103 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: busted out and went on the run on how Stuffworks 104 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: dot Com, written by Alison Trautner. Brainstuff is production of 105 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot Com and is 106 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,839 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, 107 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,279 Speaker 1: visit the Airheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 108 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.