The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Prepare to be every bit as mystified as Rajang the orangutan as we watch magician Matt G teach him a seemingly impossible card trick, which he then adorably tries to ape with his magic wand. Confundus Orangutai!




As far as I care, that was actual magic, Faye.

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19 thoughts on “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

  1. Murray C. October 18, 2016 / 10:59 am

    I love this – it’s amazing how delicately the Orang takes the card and taps on the window. I wish the world could ALL appreciate how wonderful animals are and treat them with the respect and love they deserve. This is just lovely – onions!!!!!?

  2. Birdcage October 18, 2016 / 11:11 am

    WHAT THE …….. ?!?!?!??!?!?! Confundus Birdcagious!

  3. dubravkamcvmd October 18, 2016 / 11:12 am

    Onions for sure! That we have such an animal – a person – caged!

    • 6rabbits October 19, 2016 / 7:10 am

      Amen!

  4. Gigi the cat lady October 18, 2016 / 11:51 am

    Great apes are so amazing.
    Sniff …. Ok enough with the cuting of the onions already!

  5. AB October 18, 2016 / 11:59 am

    How???? Short of video-editing, how did he get the card through the glass? I am as confused as the ape!

    I am glad, though, that the orangutan has some good entertainment. He’ll probably look back with amazement the rest of his days.

  6. Laura October 18, 2016 / 12:07 pm

    That was beautiful! Rajang appreciated the magic trick just as much as a human would, that was perfectly clear. In one respect, I’m glad they’re providing this kind of stimulation for him. In another, though, I wonder, why don’t they let him out and send him back to his natural environment? Why does he have to be behind glass for our “entertainment”? I’d rather be entertained by orangs in the wild than ones in a zoo cage, no matter how humane the cage is. Or work with him to see just how intelligent he really is, so we can start treating his species with the respect they deserve?

    Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

    • Murray C. October 18, 2016 / 12:39 pm

      Did that soapbox by any chance have onions in it????? (I know, I know, just soap)

      • Duckie ? October 18, 2016 / 9:52 pm

        Soap gets in your eyes…

        • Murray C. October 18, 2016 / 10:19 pm

          ???

    • Ricky's Mom October 18, 2016 / 3:23 pm

      I understand that soapbox feeling, but orangs are endangered, and zoos are at the forefront of preservation efforts. Zoos have helped bring giant pandas back from the brink, for example.

      Yes, in a perfect world we might not have zoos, but unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. Far from it! 🙁

      Maybe this link about Colchester Zoo will help you to feel a little better about the situation. http://www.colchester-zoo.com/conservation/introduction

      I know some terrible things have happened at zoos, but mostly they are really working to preserve species and to help humans connect to other animals.

      • Jakepets October 18, 2016 / 5:03 pm

        Thank you, Ricky’s Mom — I agree with your comments. I believe we are slowly moving to a model where zoos are way less zoo-like in general, and more thoroughly committed to research and species preservation work, versus entertainment for the masses. If zoos consolidated their breeding stock of endangered animals and each focused their space and resources on a few key species, even more good work might ensue. But of course, in the meantime, we have to start saving the habitats so we can return the animals to the wild safely. Sigh.

      • Laura October 18, 2016 / 6:28 pm

        I actually agree with you, Ricky’s Mom; I know zoos do a vast amount of important conservation work. I just wish they didn’t have to, that animals could live their lives the way they’re meant to. And I know the animals have really good lives in most zoos these days.

        On Zooborns yesterday there was a story about a baby gorilla at a Spanish zoo who lives with her whole big family of gorillas in a lovely enclosure where they can be inside or outside at will, where the family structure is just like in the wild, and where they don’t believe in ever actually separating the baby from its mom until it’s a bit older so they had to wait until they could actually look at it at the right angle to know its sex. The pictures are just beautiful. I’m not critical of today’s zoos. I just wish we didn’t need them any more, that’s all!

  7. Julie October 18, 2016 / 4:37 pm

    WHAT THE WHAT?!?!?! 🙂

    • 6rabbits October 19, 2016 / 7:13 am

      ExACTly!?

  8. Phred's Mom October 18, 2016 / 6:11 pm

    I, too, am well and truly flummoxed by the trick.
    And warmed by Rajang’s joining in. I love orangs.

  9. Faye October 18, 2016 / 6:28 pm

    I still don’t get the trick. I think we saw real magic. And of course the real magic was watching them both interact so wonderfully. Magical indeed.

  10. tara October 18, 2016 / 10:42 pm

    Okay first of all. What. How!!??!!?!
    And second to the zoo question – oh, I can only sit on the fence. I don’t like that animals are caged for our entertainment either. In the last decade though, I’ve seen zoos move more towards education rather than entertainment. This mean bigger enclosures, more natural habitat – educating the public that – you might not see this animal right now because they are sleeping like they would be in the wild. The Philadelphia Zoo actually “removed” their elephants because they decided they could not accommodate them appropriately. Sad for the public but hooray for the elephants!
    Then there are stories like the California Condor. I remember vividly in the ’80s when the San Diego Wild Animal park captured the last dozen or so (somebody fact check me) wild California Condors in an effort to try to save them. They believed they could. I wasn’t convinced (and I was 10-ish). I’ve been following this story for the last 30 years, watching my 10-year-old self proved wrong, and then just this last week through a link from a link (originating from cutetropolis I’m sure) I saw this article: http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/10/11/california-condors-chick-born-in-wild-flies-from-nest-at-pinnacles-national-park-for-first-time-in-more-than-100-years/
    There are good things happening. There are. 🙂

    • Julie October 19, 2016 / 8:52 am

      Agree with you, Tara! And the San Diego Wild Animal Park is AMAZING! I wish all “zoos” could be like that one.

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