North America's Bonobo Exhibits

jbnbsn99 said:
I'm just glad that's not too common of an occurrence on my monorail.
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By "my monorail", I gather you're talking about the Dallas Zoo's monorail tour for the Wilds of Africa. As I think of the other monorail rides in USA zoos (Dallas, Bronx, Minnesota, Miami), none of these has stretches where you're on the monorail for 50 straight minutes. "Diapers" sounds like a good answer, but how many 3- to 5-year-olds are wearing diapers? It's one of those problems you don't realize you have until it hits you.
 
ANyhuis said:
By "my monorail", I gather you're talking about the Dallas Zoo's monorail tour for the Wilds of Africa. As I think of the other monorail rides in USA zoos (Dallas, Bronx, Minnesota, Miami), none of these has stretches where you're on the monorail for 50 straight minutes. "Diapers" sounds like a good answer, but how many 3- to 5-year-olds are wearing diapers? It's one of those problems you don't realize you have until it hits you.
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It was intended as a joke.
 
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ANyhuis said:
Good point about how the monorail tour was free! I'd forgotten that! A funny thing I've learned about one of the reasons the monorail was discontinued: the need to go potty! Of course the main reason was because it was constantly breaking down and too expensive to maintain. But another reason was that lots and lots of moms complained that their small kids simply couldn't "hold it" for 50 long minutes! I guess kids wetting their pants was a common occurance on the monorail. (Maybe they should have had a rest stop halfway along the tour -- or maybe an onboard bathroom at the back.)
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I wish someone would do a monorail tour exciting enough to cause you to wet your pants. Most are pretty sedate
 
Zooplantman said:
I wish someone would do a monorail tour exciting enough to cause you to wet your pants. Most are pretty sedate
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In the immortal words of Abraham Lincoln: "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time."

Your wish reminds me of the oft-heard complaint about Disney Animal Kingdom's Kilamanjaro Safari: "I wish there were some way I could see the animals at my own pace (or on a separate walking path)" -- My point: Disney has created an animal ride (similar to these monorail rides) in which they've attempted to include some "excitement". So what's the result: "some of the people" complain about that excitement -- wanting a slow monorail-like experience. So Lincoln is right!
 
I think you're on to something Allen, but then of course what to some people might be "exciting," others find "hokey." Case in point is the annoying "poacher chase" at DAK, coming on the ride right when I'm trying to figure out where the hidden dry moat behind the lion kopje is!
 
reduakari said:
I think you're on to something Allen, but then of course what to some people might be "exciting," others find "hokey." Case in point is the annoying "poacher chase" at DAK, coming on the ride right when I'm trying to figure out where the hidden dry moat behind the lion kopje is!
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But then again, this is another case of Lincoln being right! Many whom I've heard from think the hokey poacher chase is absolutely thrilling! One person's hokeyness is another person's thrill, and vice versa.

God bless that Abe Lincoln!
 
Getting back to the bonobos, I found out that the bonobo enclosure at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (which is sadly off exhibit) is 2 acres in size! I remember seeing it when I visited the park in 2006, and it is a massive hill that allows the apes to move out of the public eye. Anyway, at 2 acres it is surely the largest great ape exhibit in North America, and hopefully one day there will be a walking trail that allows visitors to see the bonobos for an extended amount of time. On the old WGASA monorail tour I saw the apes for around 30-40 seconds.:)
 
I was jst watching a video on youtube of the bonobos at SDWAP. The exhibit looks amazing
 
snowleopard said:
Anyway, at 2 acres it is surely the largest great ape exhibit in North America
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Not quite. The Chimpanzee habitat at the Kansas City Zoo is a massive 3-acre hillside, with a large troop of chimps seen up and down the hill, among lots of trees. It also includes a long glass wall with many of the chimpanzees lured there by food. On the visitor-side of that wall, there is a beautiful very educational visitor center, meant to model the Visitor Center at Tanzania's real Gombe Stream National Park. It's amazing!
 
BlackRhino said:
Wow, it sounds like the Kansas City Zoo is a pretty amazing place!
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Yes, it is! This is just one reason why I named KC's "Africa" exhibit my #3 best zoo exhibit in the USA. It not only has the nation's best chimpanzee exhibit, but also a Top 10 level elephant habitat, one of the best lion exhibits, and a collection of African animals that includes almost everything you can think of! This collection is intermingled among African buildings and cultural displays that are very convincing in making you feel you've actually crossed the Atlantic. The ONLY negative of this huge exhibit is that it's closed in the winter.
 
@ANyhuis: in your fantastic book "America's Best Zoos" you list the Great Apes of Harambee enclosure at the Detroit Zoo as "home to the largest chimpanzee exhibit in the nation". Which has the larger chimp enclosure: Kansas City or Detroit? As you know I have yet to visit Kansas, and the Detroit habitat impressed me with its size but lacked a few extra climbing structures for the chimps.
 
snowleopard said:
@ANyhuis: in your fantastic book "America's Best Zoos" you list the Great Apes of Harambee enclosure at the Detroit Zoo as "home to the largest chimpanzee exhibit in the nation". Which has the larger chimp enclosure: Kansas City or Detroit?
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SnowLeopard: Thanks for thinking our book is "fantastic"! I hope you still think so after this. I'm quickly looking up the size of Detroit's GAoH, and can't find it right away. I'll keep looking, but I don't think it's larger than KC's 3 acres.

What you have witnessed here is probably one of the flaws of 2 coauthors writing a book together. Jon and I each wrote one of the two chapters, about the Detroit Zoo and the KC Zoo. I believe that Detroit's GAoH was once the nation's largest chimp exhibit, and thus their literature still states this. This is where the quote likely cam from in that zoo's chapter. But I honestly believe that KC's exhibit is now the largest. But I'll keep checking. Sorry, but this is one of those things our error-checking missed.
 
ANyhuis SnowLeopard: Thanks for thinking our book is "fantastic"! I hope you still think so after this. I'm quickly looking up the size of Detroit's GAoH, and can't find it right away. I'll keep looking, but I don't think it's larger than KC's 3 acres.

What you have witnessed here is probably one of the flaws of 2 coauthors writing a book together. Jon and I each wrote one of the two chapters, about the Detroit Zoo and the KC Zoo. I believe that Detroit's GAoH was once the nation's largest chimp exhibit, and thus their literature still states this. This is where the quote likely cam from in that zoo's chapter. But I honestly believe that KC's exhibit is now the largest. But I'll keep checking. Sorry, but this is one of those things our error-checking missed.

I've just looked at a news article from 2007 about the Detroit Zoos' chimp exhibit and it said that the entire "Great Apes of Harambee" exhibit encompass four acres in size. Of course this exhibit also features gorillas and monkeys so that facility is composed of smaller habitats for at least one group of primates. Thus the Kansas City Zoo from the looks of things still has the largest exhibit for chimpanzees.

snowleopard As you know I have yet to visit Kansas

Do you mean to say that you never been to Kansas or Kansas City? Though Kansas City does extend into Kansas, the bulk of the city is actually in Missouri where the zoo is located.
 
The KCZooman@Do you mean to say that you never been to Kansas or Kansas City? Though Kansas City does extend into Kansas, the bulk of the city is actually in Missouri where the zoo is located.

Actually, what I ment to say was that Kansas City originates in Missouri and extends into Kansas.
 
1. Cincinnati-
Positives:
a. Indescribably amazing, just perfect with no changes needed at all.
b. It has a GIANT fake (?-looks real) tree with many vines that take up half of the exhibit and the apes seem to enjoy.
c. Extremely lush; has many plants that make it seem like a tropical rainforest and there isn't a single spot that isn't green.
d. I love how it is surrounded by tall trees.
e. Even though the trees don't go over the exhibit much, it seems to always be shady 99% of the time.
f. the indoor exhibit is one of the greatest bedrooms in general I have ever seen. Trees, ropes, and vines along the 100ft long indoor rainforest. Who ever said that it was small, I don't see it.
g. There are currently 3 babies in the exhibit that were born in 2010.
h. No matter how much you look, even in person, the exhibit seems to be far away from you even when it isn't.
Negatives:
a. The bedroom floor is made of shotcrete or well shaped concrete.

2. San Diego-(only seen from pictures, will be visiting in the summer)
Positives:
a. Perfect layout with many viewing spots.
b. Allows you to get face-to-face with them.
c. Like the surroundings (large rock walls).
d. Many natural climbing opportunities along the whole exhibit.
e. Many hills and small cliffs.
Negatives:
a. Not a whole lot of plants.
b. No rainforest experience.
c. No indoor viewing (?)

3. Columbus-
Positives:
a. Many trees and bushes inside the exhibit.
b. You can get face-to-face with the apes outdoors.
c. Very, very large.
Negatives:
a. I don't like the layout of it too much, hard to get the whole perspective of the exhibit.
b. Lacks climbing structures.
c. From past to present: the exhibit seems to be getting less lush.
d. the bedrooms (before renovation) were not what I expected at all. It is a playground that has no natural sense to it.
e. the outdoor exhibit doesn't make it seem like you or the apes are in a rainforest as it is surrounded by open air.
 
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Moebelle said:
2. San Diego-(only seen from pictures, will be visiting in the summer)
Positives:
a. Perfect layout with many viewing spots.
b. Allows you to get face-to-face with them.
c. Like the surroundings (large rock walls).
d. Many natural climbing opportunities along the whole exhibit.
e. Many hills and small cliffs.
Negatives:
a. Not a whole lot of plants.
b. No rainforest experience.
c. No indoor viewing (?)
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@Mobelle: you are correct that there is no indoor viewing for the San Diego bonobos (no need as bonobos are out all year long). You are also correct that there are not many plants for them to climb on, which seems rather curious. San Diego does not have great climbing opportunities for their arboreal apes (bonobos, orangs, siamangs), although there are some and the bonobo and orangutan-siamang exhibits are overall quite good.

The San Diego Safari Park bonobo exhibit remains inaccesible to visitors and there is no indication of when, or if, it will ever become accessible again. Does anybody know if there are even still bonobos present at the Safari Park?
 
There are 6 bonobos at the Safari Park. Matriarch Loretta, her son Erin, her daughter Kalli, female Connie-Lenore, female Ikela and her adopted son Tutapenda. You can see the bonobos if you take the behind the scenes "Cats and Critters Safari". There are 7 bonobos at the zoo. Matriarch, Lana, her son Junior, her daughter Keshi, Lolita and her daughter Mchumba, Makasi a seven year old male and little Mali a four year old female. Sadly , the breeding male, Yenge, died of a heart attack on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. He was only 30 years old. This is a great loss.
 
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