A reader responds to yesterday's MHB:
That was a gibbon – those guys get grudges! I used to volunteer at the Minnesota Zoo. I would be dropped off early and was allowed to wander around before I had to start working, and before the zoo was officially open. That meant I was frequently the only person around while I wandered and some animals (like the dolphins) were happy to see me, while others (like the gibbons) were NOT.
One young male gibbon really fixated on me and did all he could to launch a similar attack, but he was just too far away. (The gibbons were on an island with a large moat.) He'd chase me and yell at me and generally try to convey his deep hatred.
The problem was that he got to know me well enough that when I had a reason to go by his island during regular zoo hours, he would STILL chase me and yell at me and convey his deep hatred. In front of vast crowds of people. Definitely picking out me, in particular – he'd follow me the length of the exhibit (which was long) and stare at me while being as threatening as possible. If I stopped, he stopped. Etc. Never took his eyes off of me.
Everyone would start looking at me like "what did you do to that poor monkey?" If I hustled through to try to avoid his wrath, he'd sit on the furthermost branch watching my retreat and strut about a bit, clearly proud of his me-repelling powers.
Baby gibbons are far from repellant though.
The Dish 