Needing to escape from this situation, he studies the habits of the crew, and imitates them with surprising ease; he reports encountering particular difficulty only in learning to drink alcohol.
Upon arriving in Europe, the ape realizes that he is faced with a choice between the "Zoological Garden" or the "Music Hall", and devotes himself to becoming human enough to become an able performer.
"[3] The motif of the changeability of identity may have ramifications in the context of Zionism and the Jewish diaspora, as "A Report to an Academy" first appeared in a Zionist magazine.
Nicholas Murray briefly suggests in his 2004 biography of Kafka that the story is a satirization of Jews' assimilation into Western culture.
[5] In J. M. Coetzee's novel Elizabeth Costello, the title character gives a central place to "A Report to an Academy" in her speech about vegetarianism and animal rights.
The hour-long solo piece was directed by Walter Meierjohann, and Kathryn Hunter's performance as Red Peter the ape was widely acclaimed.
In 2013 another adaptation of the story was staged in Montreal under the title Kafka's Ape,[12] presented by independent theater company Infinitheatre.