Orangutan Ties Perfect Knot for His ‘Royal Cloak’ on His Birthday

Orangutans are considered the most intelligent of the non-human primates. They exhibit sophisticated cognitive abilities like tool use, planning, and even some forms of communication (they have even been observed ‘talking’ about the past).

Patrick, an orangutan at Metro Richmond Zoo, revealed his skills in tying knots. He turned 34 years old and received a “royal cloak”—a soft sheet—which he promptly tied into a cape. The zoo shared a video and wrote: “Patrick turns 34, receives a royal cloak, and then ties the perfect knot — because even jungle royalty needs a signature look!”

Not only does he tie a knot, he reinforces it by tying it twice. Viewers are amazed by Patrick’s abilities. Wendy Tayloe joked, “Will he come fold my fitted sheet?” The zoo answered, “Wendy Tayloe he only folds Egyptian cotton. 1,000 thread count or higher. Still interested?”

People liked the comment, with one person noting, “Only the best for Patrick.”

One person wondered how he learned to tie a knot, to which another viewer noted that the apes do in their “natural habitat by building nests to sleep using tree branches.” Another pointed out that apes can learn by watching, claiming, “Nat Geo found one that lived in the wild and made a spear for fishing. They noticed that orangutans lived near fishermen.”

Another viewer remarked, “These apes are observant and patient. In Borneo, they’ve been witnessed going down to the riverbank and rewashing villagers’ clothes. They have to keep the boats locked because they’ve learned to unhitch the ropes and pull the outboard starter cords.”

Watching Patrick with his royal cloak is a reminder to never underestimate an orangutan.