Marbles loves the tools of the trade, so to speak. Here he is as a young adult, when I knew him at the Sedgwick County Zoo, in Wichita Kansas. Marbles is still alive, the venerable patriarch of the zoo's chimpanzee troop.The following is a story about Marbles from Grains of Golden Sand:
"Marbles particularly liked to imitate the keepers cleaning cages. He would pretend to wipe the walls and public glass of his enclosure while the keeper worked. A few times he accidentally got the keeper’s broom or squeegee, and before demolishing it, he would diligently scrub or squeegee his floor. The ape-keeper’s joke was that someday he was going to give Marbles a bucket and brush and then nap while the animal tidied up.
"However, one day the keeper forgot to lock a door between him and the outdoor area where Marbles was. The keeper was hosing down the floor when he heard a noise. He looked up and there was Marbles, coming at him through the passageway, hair erect with excitement. Without thinking, the keeper threw the hose at Marbles and skeedaddled. Slipping on the wet floor, he managed to get out of the cage and bolt the door behind him. He looked back, expecting to see the chimp hot on his heels. Instead, Marbles was standing there, looking with surprise and delight at the pouring hose in his hands as if to say, “Hey, cool! It’s my turn to rinse!”
Photo by K. Wright
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