A statue for Chantek? A memorial considered for the orangutan who learned to sign at UTC

Photo Courtesy of Dr. Lyn H. Miles The infant Chantek

Chantek the orangutan lives in an outdoor enclosure at Zoo Atlanta where he can swing from branch to branch.

But he really got around during the eight years he stayed at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Chantek went to Lake Winnepesaukah Amusement Park, rode the elevator to visit UTC benefactor Scotty Probasco in the 20-story SunTrust building downtown — even sat in the audience and watched the animals perform when the circus came to UTC’s McKenzie Arena.

“You’d see students walking to class, and you’d see Chantek walking to class, too,” said Richard Brown, UTC’s executive vice chancellor of finance and operations. “He was really part of the campus.”

Now there’s talk of putting a statue of Chantek on campus.