In the 1980s, Ken Allen, a remarkably clever Bornean orangutan at the San Diego Zoo, became a local legend after escaping his enclosure not once, but three times.
Each time, he didn’t flee in panic-he strolled through the zoo calmly, observing visitors and other animals with curiosity. Zookeepers were stunned by his problem-solving abilities, especially since he never escaped the same way twice.
After multiple failed attempts to outsmart him, the zoo even brought in rock climbers and surveillance teams to identify how he was slipping out.
Ken Allen’s intelligence and gentle demeanor made him a fan favorite, but he wasn’t without quirks. His only known act of aggression was throwing rocks at another orangutan named Otis whom he apparently didn’t get along with.
His escapes forced zoos around the world to rethink the design of great ape enclosures, and to this day, he’s remembered as the “Hairy Houdini.”