IT's All Happening at the Zoo

IT has mixed feelings about zoos. On the one paw, we do love getting a little face time with our fuzzy, be-tailed brethren. On the other, the bars always end up pulling focus from the bears, and we inevitably leave feeling a little like Tondalayo, the depressed Sumatran orangutan (only without a pet cat to cheer us up). This is probably why we have yet to make the 20-minute walk to visit Tai Shan, the National Zoo's no-longer-a-baby panda. Thanks to our fence phobia, we were thrilled to hear about the London Zoo's new "barrier free enclosure" for its squirrel monkeys.

Or should we say scoundrel monkeys? Once they moved into their new home, the monks found that "barrier free" goes both ways. Sure, it lets human visitors feel a closer connection with their fellow primates. But as far as the monkeys were concerned, the main perk was the opportunity to steal cell phones! Apparently the flashing and beeping devices were too much for the rascals to resist, and they were observed trying to snatch them from the hands of visitors holding them out take pictures. The zoo undertook a simple training exercise (cell phones covered in monkey-unfriendly sticky substances were put into the enclosure) that has nipped the creatures' klepto tendencies in the bud. Which is good. After all, aren't monkeys supposed to stand for honesty?