Times are hard all over so when unemployed circus acrobats Miguel and Jose known as the Flying Burrito brothers saw a job at the local publicly owned zoo for trapeze artists they didn’t hesitate to apply. The head keeper of Ape World text them to come over for a chat and an audition. The gig was very well paid and involved two performances a day six days a week. The only catch was that they had to perform in Gorilla suits!
Apparently the zoos main attraction big Bernard who had entertained the crowds for years with his displays of acrobatics and amusing antics had died some 18 months ago. Acquiring a new mature big ape was prohibitive and vets bills were beyond the revised budget yet the zoo needed a star attraction if it was to hit its attendance targets. So the head keeper had the idea of hiring two acrobats dressing them in ape suits and getting them to put on a daily performance.
Despite their initial reservations the Flying Burrito Brothers soon realised that they could do their act, add a few cheeky gestures involving bananas and get a lot of laughs and big crowds. But like all true artists they weren’t content a somersault became a double somersault, the act became more risky and more dangerous as they egged each other on to swing higher and higher. Inevitably one of them overdid it. Jose going for an ambitious double somersault and landing on the top of a landscaped cliff face that separated the ape enclosure from that of the Mountain Lions lost his footing and fell landing almost on top of a large male lion.
The ape was immediately surrounded by curious lions. As shocked members of the public looked on the terrified ape started screaming for help. At which point the leader of the pack pinned him to the ground and nuzzling his ear was heard to say, “Keep quiet you’ll give the game away.”
A spokes person for the local council denied that this deception was a direct consequence of budget cuts. “This was the actions of a rogue manager who simple took the instruction to be innovative too far”.
Blair McPherson is author of People management in a harsh financial climate and Equipping Managers for an Uncertain Future both published by www.russellhouse.co.uk