(Found) Book about What makes us intelligent

[Reader0987]

I am trying to figure out author and title of a short story that I read at least 20 years ago. The main story line is that a starship crashes on a planet that has constant rain. The survivors end up there for many years and all the parts of the ship get destroyed by rust. Aliens visit the planet and think that the humans are native spiecies so they take humans to their planet, and display them in a zoo. They look and communicate very differently and so they could not conceive that humans are intelligent spiecies. The aliens recognize human intelligence only when the humans construct a contraption to capture a rat-like creature that was annoying them in their zoo cage. Any ideas?

 

[Danny McG]

This short story is The Cage by Bertram Chandler from 1957

A Bertram Chandler - The Cage - The Best From Fantasy And Science Fiction, Seventh Series 1958

 

[Hugh]

This short story is The Cage by Bertram Chandler from 1957

A Bertram Chandler - The Cage - The Best From Fantasy And Science Fiction, Seventh Series 1958

Well done indeed!
I knew I'd read it, but couldn't access the memory file.

 

[Reader0987]

Thanks!

 

[Danny McG]

Thanks!

You're welcome.
And welcome to Chronicles.

I was looking at your user name because at first I thought it was a Lego copy , then I realised that would be 0937