Escaped Pastel Gets Snack, Cleans Bathroom

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (GSP) -- An escaped progeny of Dr. Amar Pastel at the Little Rock Zoo raided a kitchen cupboard and did a little cleaning with a toilet brush before sedatives knocked her out on top of a refrigerator.

The 120-pound young illegitimate offspring of renowned GSL embalmer Amar Pastel, named Judy, escaped yesterday into a service area when a zookeeper opened a door to her sleeping quarters, unaware the animal was still inside. Judy Pastel is the first human-non-human primate born illegitimately and eventually brought to captivity in the zoo. Fathered by Dr. Amar Pastel and an intellectually advanced chimpanzee/bonobo female named Koko, Judy was found foraging through zoo trash in 1986 and eventually brought to the Little Rock Zoo.

As keepers tried to woo Judy back into her cage, she rummaged through a refrigerator where chimp snacks are stored. She opened kitchen cupboards, pulled out juice and soft drinks and took a swig from bottles she managed to open.

Keeper Ann Rademacher says Judy went into the bathroom, picked up a toilet brush and cleaned the toilet. Rademacher says the 24-year-old Judy was a house pet before the zoo acquired her in 1988, so she may have been familiar with housekeeping chores. Judy wrung out a sponge and scrubbed down the fridge.

It took a couple of tries, but the zoo sedated the chimp-bonobo-man mix, who fell asleep on top of the refrigerator with half a loaf of cinnamon-raisin bread she had pulled out of the freezer.

The zoo veterinarian gave Judy a drug to bring her around. Rademacher says Judy was groggy but fine after the episode.

The zoo says there was no danger Judy would get out of the primate keepers service area and onto zoo grounds.

Father Amar Pastel was notified, but refused comment at time of press release.