Chasing Harpo

Dr. Carl Marks is the department head of the Birmingham, Alabama Zoo's Great Ape House. He is rightfully proud of the surroundings and conditions he has developed for his charges. He loves them all, more so than most of the people he knows. He is especially fond of Harpo, the dominant male of the orangutans in his charge. But, Harpo is just a little too smart for his own good.
Quite by accident, Harpo kills a zoo intruder. Now the orangutan is marked for death by local politicians trying to make a name for themselves and by a gang of drug dealers. The politician claims he is doing it for the good of the people to euthanize a danger to society. The drug dealers are just out for revenge for the death of one of their own.
Determined not to let his friend die, Carl steals Harpo, hoping to hide the orangutan until the furor dies down. But how to you hide a four hundred pound ape? And how do you get out of town when you drive a Smart Car? Carl and Harpo call upon the assistance of a quirky set of family and friends to hide in plain sight.