Her name translates as "come home", but Pulang the orang-utan has done anything but for a few minutes at Perth Zoo.

The 15-year-old Sumatran simian used a rope to swing out of her enclosure on Saturday, showing all the wisdom of age and her species.

Pulang "appeared to free a rope from a bolt and swing herself into the visitor area in a planned escape", senior orang-utan keeper Kylie Bullo said.

Once there, Pulang wondered what she was doing and was easily coaxed back to her home. She was out of her enclosure for about five minutes.

Zoo chief executive Susan Hunt said a security would be reviewed following the incident, but Pulang was a "gentle animal" who posed no threat to visitors.

"Orang-utans are [one] of the world's most intelligent, inquisitive and agile creatures," Ms Hunt said.

"They are capable of picking locks and undoing bolts and screws."

Pulang's enclosure was a "state of the art" new exhibit designed to mimic the Sumatran jungle.