To prove his point, Zaius subjected Ulysse's to various tests and exercises and to much of his embarrassment failed to disprove the man's intelligence. It was he who assigned Ulysse to be paired with Nova to become mates. He decreed that Ulysse's talents were due to highly developed animal instinct, and an asserted that he was a tame man, probably due to former period of captivity. At a biological conference he intended to present his thesis on the remarkable trained mam, but was discredited when Ulysse Mérou made a convincing address to the ape masses.