Here’s the next part!
After you get done viewing the birds of prey, you follow a path that takes a turn left, but also keeps going straight. there is also a sign that directs people to what area/animals they possibly want to see. The part of the sign that points left says “
Primate House”. While the one that points straight says “
Long-Legged Waders Aviary”. Along the sides of the paths are flower beds and trees, mostly for decoration and to keep the zoo looking nice and pretty. Anyways, we’ll be going down the straight path; to the waders aviary. When you reach the aviary, you can see it’s made out of mesh, with no wooden pieces. Inside is a beautiful, clear river that runs through the exhibit, with rocks and logs spaced out around it. It has multiple, large tropical plants and grasses too. There’s a waterfall in the back, with mosses growing all over it, as well as vines; to give it a more jungle theme. There are trees too, with long, lush leaves. In the river, guests can see live fish swimming around, which is supposed to be an enrichment; for the waders. The aviary contains 2.4
Scarlet Ibis (
Eudocimus ruber), 2.5
Roseate Spoonbill (
Platalea ajaja), 4.6
Cattle Egret (
Bubulcus ibis), and 1.5
Ringed Teal (
Callonetta leucophrys). The bird species should be peaceful and live together without any danger to each other. The birds also all live in South America, which was also a reason for the chosen species.
After viewing, guests have a choice to continue and walk into the
South America zone, with exotic animals, such as kinkajous, aye-ayes, tropical birds, and much more, or they can go back to the primate house if they didn’t before. We’ll head to the
Primate House.
Guests enter through an arch with the words “
PRIMATE HOUSE” written on it. On the arch itself, is grey/white, with flower baskets hanging from hooks on the sides. Above the letters has a statue of a chimpanzee sitting, as well as an orangutan, and a gorilla on the sides of the chimp. There are lines of flower beds and trees along the sides, slightly blocking the view of the guests if they look to the side. When they reach the building, it has the same color walls as the arch, as well as the flowers. On the top, there are stacks of walls then the roof, probably for trees so they have space. On the very top, there are glass panels on the top and walls, allowing light to shine through. There are multiple drawings and paintings secured to the walls that show different species of apes, monkeys, and other strange primate species, such as lemurs and galagos. There’s a high concrete fence on the sides, preventing guests from straying from the path.
When guests get inside through a door that has “
PRIMATE HOUSE” written on it like the arch. There are dim lights hidden on the walls, lighting up the house. To the right are restrooms, then to the left are restaurants and gift shops, in case someone is hungry, needs to go to the bathroom, etc. guests walk through a spacious corridor, with exhibits with glass panels for viewing on the sides. The first exhibit holds 1.3
Ring-Tailed Lemur (
Lemur catta) and 1.3
Red Ruffed Lemur (
Varecia rubra) Their exhibit has dull, grey floors and roofs, with wooden climbing structures in the middle, with posts leading down to concrete shelves for the lemurs to sit and sleep on. There is also an abundance of hay/straw on the ground and the shelves for padding. On the sides, there are multiple doors with stairs leading up to them. The doors are opened and closed at different times of the day. Most of the doors lead to their off-show outdoor exhibit, filled with lush plants. The lemurs also have an off-show indoor area, and the door that leads to it is always opened, it’s also where the lemurs get fed sometimes.
The next exhibit also has lemurs, but it holds 1.3
Black-And-White Ruffed Lemur (
Varecia variegata). Their exhibit is identical to the other lemur’s house, of course, some things are different, such as the climbing structures. Above the guests, there’s a metal tunnel with mesh for viewing, this transports the lemurs to either exhibit, as they sometimes switched around.
The guests continue down the hall, shortly greeted by more exhibits on both sides. The first exhibit contains 2.5
Tufted Capuchin (
Sapajus apella). The monkeys have taller climbing structures than the lemurs, as well as a few potted plants and mulch just to make it more interesting for the guests. They also have off-show outdoor exhibits. Noticeable things in the exhibit other than the structures and plants are toys, such as complex boxes with treats inside to test the monkeys and their intelligence. The lemurs also have these boxes, but different colors and different ways to get the treats inside. The treats are often pieces of sweet and tasty fruits, but sometimes a biscuit or two.
The next exhibit contains 1.4
Black-Handed Spider Monkey (
Ateles geoffroyi). Their exhibit is like the capuchin’s, but they don’t have the potted plants or mulch, instead, there are vines and ivies. The vines are attached to the climbing structures and to the wall, making sure they won’t fall down if the spider monkeys climb on them. The monkeys also have the puzzles that the rest do, making sure they have enrichment.
I tried to make this post not as long, but there’s still a lot
Tomorrow I’ll be posting the rest of the Primate House, as well as some of the South America zone! Also, do you guys see anything I could add to the exhibits? I tried to go all out for what I could come up with, so I hope it’s good enough!
