Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park ape house "air cannon"?

[Carrie McLaren]

In doing a bit of online research, I came across a 2004 article about a Lincoln Park Zoo ape house renovation. Jun 16, 2004, page 1-30 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com

The article describes a device that "will allow the chimps to play practical jokes on human visitors. Two nozzles hidden in the ceiling over the indoor public viewing area are the muzzles of an air cannon. Once they learn how it works, the chimps, who enjoy interacting with human visitors, can blast away unwary viewers."

Does anyone know if this design feature worked? Is anything like it still in existence today? Or are their other examples of zoo features geared to letting chimps play gags on visitors?

 

[snowleopard]

Although not a Chimpanzee reference, I do remember visiting Toledo Zoo for the first time in 2008 and seeing a Splash Zone outside the Orangutan exhibit. Here's a couple of my photos explaining how the system worked, but I have no idea how often the orangs utilized their 'enrichment opportunity'.

When I was at Cameron Park Zoo in 2010, the orangutans had a very similar setup there as well.

 

[birdsandbats]

I don't think Lincoln Park has anything of the sort.

 

[birdsandbats]

Although not a Chimpanzee reference, I do remember visiting Toledo Zoo for the first time in 2008 and seeing a Splash Zone outside the Orangutan exhibit. Here's a couple of my photos explaining how the system worked, but I have no idea how often the orangs utilized their 'enrichment opportunity'.

When I was at Cameron Park Zoo in 2010, the orangutans had a very similar setup there as well.

Always reminds me of this edit of that sign that went viral a few years ago:

 

[pachyderm pro]

Always reminds me of this edit of that sign that went viral a few years ago:

I thought of this exact image when I saw the sign in snowleopard's post.

 

[theangryquokka]

Always reminds me of this edit of that sign that went viral a few years ago:

Considering how some zoo guests can be, I don't blame them.

 

[PAKMan]

I remember the air cannon was featured on that old Animal Planet show Ultimate Zoo when they featured the ape house shortly after it opened in 2004. But I never saw the chimps do this myself, and I don't think it exists anymore. Lincoln Park Zoo has put a focus on encouraging natural behaviors over the past decade or so and perhaps they determined this does not fit with their goals.