Animal Mindreaders

Can an animal know what’s in our heads so well that they can manipulate and deceive us? To answer that question, reporter Ben Calhoun went back to the 1960s to tell the story of a showdown between zookeeper Jerry Stones and a wily old orangutan.

Then, to get a grip on the science behind animals and deception, Ben talks to primatologist and orangutan expert Rob Shumaker of the Great Ape Trust.

Audio: NPR & WNYC's program Radio Lab, Hosts Robert Krulwich & Jad Abumrad.