I was going through my "mental files" and recalled two funny experiences that are related to the local zoo here. One of the experiences was related by my late adopted sister when she and her children visited the zoo several years ago, before the zoo installed plexiglass barriers.
I can remember visiting the zoo, as a child, and remember that there used to be metal bars separating the animals from the zoo visitors. This day that my adopted sister and her children were visiting the Primate House, a zoo worker was using a garden hose to clean an area. The garden hose had one of those devices that remind me of a gun's trigger. This zoo worker decided to act stupid and was teasing the chimpanzee by squirting it. The idiot compounded his mistake by laying the hose down near the cage bars, assuming that the animal couldn't do anything. The next thing everyone visiting the Primate House knew, the chimp had a hold of the garden hose and was squirting everyone within range!!!!!! (Talk about a faster learner!!!

) It took a while before the zoo personnel was able to get that hose away from the chimp.
The other zoo experience was connected to a psychology course I was taking. My class went on a field trip to the zoo where we were given the assignment to either observe the animals or observe the visitors. I chose to observe the primates in the Primate House. By this time, the cage bars had been replaced by plexiglass barriers. As I was observing the gorillas, I couldn't help but notice a drunk stumbling into the Primate House and started imitating the Silverback Gorilla...standing as close to the plexiglass as possible. I was shaking my head and observing the gorilla really GLARING at this drunk. (My instructor advised not to anthropomorphize the animals and yet I didn't know how else to describe what I was seeing.) Slowly, the gorilla turned his back on the drunk and ambled over to the water fountain. I thought the gorilla was thirsty and was getting a drink of water. Then the gorilla ambled back to where the drunk was standing and deliberately looked the drunk in the eye and SPEWED WATER AIMED AT THE DRUNK'S FACE!!!!

It was so methodical and deliberate!!!!! The drunk was startled and left as quickly as possible. I laughed so hard that my ribs hurt!!

My instructor heard me laughing and came to investigate what had just occurred. I asked him how he would describe what had occurred without anthropomorphizing and my instructor was simply stumped!!!!
Bones