"He claimed also to be perfectly familiar with the languages of cats and dogs and to speak the languages of apes."

A real-life Doctor Dolittle, Frenchman Jules Richard talked to animals–and despised priests. An article about him from the July 21, 1893 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which was originally published in Popular Science Monthly:

“In 1857 Jules Richard had occasion to visit a sick friend in a hospital, where he made the acquaintance of an old official of the institution from the south of France, who was exceedingly fond of animals, his love of them being equaled only by his hatred of priests; he claimed also to be perfectly familiar with the languages of cats and dogs and to speak the languages of apes even better than the apes themselves. Jules Richard received the statement with an incredulous smile, whereupon the old man, whose pride was evidently touched by such skepticism, invited him to come the next morning to the zoological garden.

"He was exceedingly fond of animals, his love of them being equaled only by his hatred of priests."

‘I met him at the appointed time and place,’ says Mr. Richard, ‘and we went together to the monkeys’ cage, where he leaned on the outer railing and began to utter a succession of guttural sounds, which alphabetical signs are scarcely adequate to represent–kirruu, kirrikie, kuruki, kirikiu–repeated with slight variations and differences of accentuation. In a few minutes the whole company of monkeys, a dozen in number, assembled and sat in rows before him with their hands crossed in their laps or resting on their knees, laughing gesticulating and answering.’

The conversation continued for a full quarter of an hour to the intense delight of the monkeys, who took a lively part in it. As their interlocutor was about to go away they all became intensely excited, climbing up on the balustrade and uttering cries of lamentation. When he finally departed and disappeared more and more from their view they ran up to the top of the cage and, clinging to the frieze, made motions as if they were bidding him goodbye. It seemed, adds Mr. Richard, as though they wished to say. ‘We are sorry to part and hope to meet again, and if you can;t come do drop us a line!'”