ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

ZOOKEEPERS AT DUBBO’S WESTERN Plains Zoo are delighted to announce this morning that scientists from the nearby TAFE college have successfully taught Glenn, a four-year-old juvenile gorilla, to read at a Daily Telegraph-level.

Named after Narromine-born cricketer Glenn McGrath, the gorilla was the first to be born at the zoo. His birth heralded a new beginning for the nation’s gorilla breeding programme.

“It’s a truly remarkable achievement,” said Head Ape Keeper, Debby Frog.

“Glenn has always been a bit slower than the other gorillas we have here. While his cousins have recently been observed using tools for the first time, which is a major cognitive milestone in a gorilla’s development, Glenn has not,”

“But he’s now the only gorilla in the world who enjoys reading the Daily Telegraph, which is just amazing.” she said.

Originally published as “Ape reads, two die in horror crash near Gilgandra” in The Daily Liberal.