I visited the zoo for the opening of Tropical Forests, went out for dinner after, passed out mid-review writing and then had two extremely busy weeks including a minor surgery... so much for sharing my thoughts that evening.
Tropical Forests
I bought a ticket ahead but we arrived early enough they were still allowing members only in, so we went in during this time. It was honestly very surreal just to see the whole layout of the place without the construction work. The first good sign was looking up immediately to see spider monkeys inside their 'sky tunnel' and signage explaining how the sky tunnels allows the primates a choice whether to be outside or not. It's good to start with activity and it's good to emphasize animal choice. It's always so exciting for guests to see the animals climbing over their heads!
For some reason, I had been under some impression the South American monkey habitat would be noticeably smaller than the others but instead I was pleasantly surprised by the scale - it's a pretty large enclosure with more than enough room for the potentially two-dozen monkeys that may someday inhabit the space. There were a number of artificial trees and ropes, but I was also really pleasantly surprised to see live trees, which I hadn't actually expected at this point with how much focus had been on the artificial ones - the combination of these made for something of a forest, and offered the primates diverse climbing opportunities. The two monkeys I did see inside the enclosure were both really showy, with one sitting in a tree and seeming to just stare out at guests while another was being playful including hanging at times by the prehensile tail and moving between artificial and real trees. I bet just seeing all ten of these monkeys outdoors would be a real treat to watch, much less if the capuchins and squirrel monkeys join in. I wish I had stopped by to take some video but I was just kind of taking in the exhibit and then ready to move on. My excitement to see and experience each new part of the complex at times interfered with my excitement for the previous.
I found the orangutan enclosure really charming actually but it was probably the weakest of the bunch and the most clearly artificial - it did seem to have at least one real tree, several shrubs, a larger artificial tree with ropes, some artificial bamboo, some soil-rich areas, and lots of grass. There is a super cool viewing shelter that I think, if the orangutans make use of the area nearby often enough, could be a lot of fun for guests young and old. The bamboo helps it feel more distinctive from other two enclosures. That said, it feels like there could still be more vertical elements here, even compared to the nearby gorilla and spider monkey enclosures. A lot of maligned, indoor orangutan enclosures (Indianapolis, Racine) have been fairly successful at getting their residents off the ground and I'm uncertain I feel like I can expect that from this enclosure right now, and the future inclusion of gibbons will only emphasize this more as they are so famous for their swinging. I sound harsh but that said, I did kind of like the enclosure and really, really look forward to seeing the animals make use of it.
(The above was my first impression, written that night - but since then, Sophia the orangutan has been outside and photographed using ropes and climbing bamboo poles, so I feel warmer towards the vertical elements now!)
The bachelor gorilla enclosure was impressive to me - there was multiple mature real trees, a stream, some varied level terrain, fallen logs - lots of climbing opportunity here and multiple viewing oppurtunities as well. While one of the brothers sat close up to the glass, no doubt trying to enjoy some shade, the other brother was near the middle of the exhibit by one of the artificial trees, so I saw him from multiple vantage points and saw some climbing behavior. I hope the bachelor troop is able to grow in the future as the exhibit was fairly large with lots of room to roam. It would be just as fit an exhibit for a family group and I did wonder if the zoo may rotate both troops between both exhibits at some point.
Between the two gorilla habitats there is a guest area, with three large viewing windows fairly close together, signage, and a little garden structure with a tree and a young gorilla statue, with the mostly bare wall of Tropic World behind you. It's sleek and modern, which is good, and I like that it offers room to sit and view the animals from the garden, although this area felt a little busy to enjoy at the time. I think it would feel a little more complete if the Tropic World walls were decorated here a little or had something 'going on'. There was some cool signage here, such as teaching guests how to identify the gorillas by their noses, which was cool and I hope to make use of in the future, another explaining the purpose of a silverback, and one acknowledging former staff members from the primate department, which I found sweet, although I wondered what a typical guest might take from that sign though. I also saw Jontu using the tunnel within the guest area, which charmed a lot of people, seeing such a large animal above them. That said, I think Omaha's tunnels are a lot more fun from a guest perspective, as the glass allows the gorillas and humans better opportunities to view each other, whereas these look much more functional.
The last enclosure is for the family troop and is directly across from the bison enclosure, which will probably be a favorite spot for me in the future - I love anywhere you can see animals on either side of you or see two different enclosures. A particularly large log is not only an excellent climbing structure but helps the gorillas climb upward to the second level of the enclosure, and I had the pleasure to see three different gorillas climbing it, including Jontu - this was super cool and gave the exhibit some verticality. I don't know that I would have recognized this fully without seeing multiple gorillas climbing it themselves - a log is boring at a glance and doesn't feel like a big climbing opportunity until you see it in use. It's easy to forget the more ground-dwelling gorillas like climbing, but I think some of this is because we associate climbing so much in primates with arboreal behavior, not climbing rocks or hills. I noticed one of the female gorillas seemed to hang on to a rope as she sat and ate, not swinging around but seeming to just appreciate something to hold on to. There was a lot of activity to appreciate from the troop and the gorillas stand out much better against the green grass than the gray rockwork of their old habitat.
The view from the bison path does allow a better vantage point of the exhibit's verticality, as you can now see the gorillas who have climbed above the viewing area and shelter and towards the second floor, but seeing the sloping of the exhibit from the side is a little awkward and could have been hidden a little better here. It almost feels like this isn't meant to be a viewing area, although real trees do a great job inside and outside the enclosure framing the area. It was a really interesting decision to design Tropical Forests so the primary path would be directly beneath Tropic World, with the exhibits slowing towards this viewing area, ensuring the vista is backed by trees and not the concrete building, creating a more immersive and natural experience for most visitors, but it does result in the areas where the slopes become visible feeling kind of awkward and almost unfinished. Viewing from the Pachyderm House trail is similarly a little bit awkward for this reason, although if the primates move high enough they are still perfectly visible from across this path as well.
There is, surprisingly, still some grassy mall between the Pachyderm House and Tropical Forests. I hope during future construction, they build the new enclosures into the mall and the rest of this area. This could afford the hippos and crocodiles more space, for example. Gorillas do come from Africa, so it would be a natural fit to integrate them towards the larger Gateway to Africa project, so there's no huge benefit to keeping them separated here as there might be if the animals across the path were from different continents.
One of the smart decisions across many of these habitats is that shade is often placed near viewing areas. I assume the same is true for the heated rocks and such, and food placed outside to my notice was usually near the glass viewing areas. This kind of exhibit design is largely invisible and doesn't visually detract from immersion but also helps draw the animals closer to guests who want to see them. It's rather infamous that primates, naturally living in forest canopies, are not always fond of wide, open areas, but the gorillas and monkeys were both in highly visible areas and active, so this aspect of the exhibit design seems incredibly successful so far, at least at a glance.
This expansion also includes the Gorilla Conservation Center, a new indoor habitat for the gorillas. In contrast to the long-awaited outdoor habitats, I have to confess as someone who finds indoor exhibit design most fascinating, I found the new building a little bit disappointing.
It's definitely a welcome change that instead of concrete floors, the animals now have access to substrate which is much better for them, and the use of artificial trees adds climbing area and keeps the sense of a simulated forest, but the whole thing feels much smaller than it is - in fact, it feels smaller than the previous gorilla exhibit space. There's two factors to this. The integration of the gorillas' second level viewing indoors and outdoors into the private viewing upstairs results in the single level indoor space feeling shorter than it is and in this case, undermines guests' ability to actually appreciate the exhibit's height and how high the animals may go. It's great the animals are at eye level now on the forest floor, but this also reduces verticality. I'm not sure the floor space is bigger than the old enclosure either. In addition, I think that trying to cover the corners of the exhibit to give the animals' privacy, which is a good decision, unfortunately adds to it feeling a little smaller from a guest standpoint, especially compared to the outdoor exhibit viewing, or indoor exhibits like Gorilla Valley at Omaha or Regenstein Center for African Apes across town. I also think the mural just lacks a sense of depth and ends up feeling more like a blurry green wall.
It's still an objective improvement over the dated older enclosure despite these shortcomings, but at once, it's weird to consider that the dated forty-year-old enclosure may not be inferior in every possible respect. As a monkey enclosure, it's paticularly impressive (especially as the standards for monkeys are generally well below apes) and I had fun watching the Guenons and Colobus inside; one guenon seemed to be watching the door when more people were coming in, and one of the colobus had climbed up and sitting almost too high to see through the viewing windows. I look forward to seeing how the gorilla family takes the enclosure and see how they enjoy it and how active they.
We had to sit for a bit on a bench and it really stood out to me that from the corner bench we couldn't see the animals easily. The benches more convenient for viewing were taken, but the corner bench feels almost useless for viewing. This is probably not the zoo's fault, as studies have shown gorillas don't like being viewed from too far around the enclosure, thus why the once all-round views on Tropic World ended, and other research at Lincoln Park suggests they like being able to hide in corners. It did get us off our feet for a bit at least, absolutely better than zero benches. It's also a really good thing they included toilets - having been with disabled, older family members at this zoo in the past, you can never have too many of those close by. I kind of wish the second level stairway was a little more hidden since guests won't have regular access to it. A stairway to 'nowhere' feels garish to me.
This whole addition has a lot of room to grow and change. It'll be a few months before we might see gorillas indoors in the next enclosure, the orangutans and gibbons haven't mixed much yet and aren't outside yet, still waiting on the other South American monkeys to get outside... these things all take time to happen, so it'll be an evolving area for a while. There's plantings to grow, and some to be destroyed, too. The exhibit is open to the public, but it's very much a work in progress -- but we have gorillas and spider monkeys outside, active and clearly loving it, and it looks likely to only go up from here. It really feels like this is something of a first shot from a starting gun for more developments in the future and the start a new era for the zoo.
There's nothing here to light up the sky for non-locals or that can drive people from around the country to visit, but as a local, it's still an incredible step forward for the zoo. This is the most ambitious development in this facility's last twenty-five years by far, with pleasing natural vistas, large outdoor spaces, no loss of species, thoughtful design, and a chance to get eye-to-eye with orangutans and spider monkeys for the first time in Chicago, something many guests who don't travel as some of us do will be experiencing for the first time. The shame of having one of the only all-indoor gorilla habitats in the country can now be wiped away. That this all coming after a decade and a half of stagnation and projects that had to be compromised and reduced in scope, it's incredible to realize how much Tropical Forests resembles the original concept almost exactly, including what many would consider its weaknesses.
I've highlighted some negatives but I'm incredibly excited to think that I will be able to continue to visit this space regularly and watch it grow. I enjoyed Omaha's Gorilla Valley a lot but I can't just head out there whenever I feel like it; but Tropical Forests will be here any time I visit my family's home zoo, and it will only get better with age.
Revisiting Tropic World
During construction on this project, I anticipated Tropic World would see some internal changes. I anticipated that the transfer chutes between the indoor and outdoor exhibits would be visible to the public, similarly to the doors at Regenstein Center for African Apes, that a species would be moved around or introduced in Tropic World Africa in the former gorilla habitat and/or Ramar's habitat and/or that changes might be made to the smaller habitats. When the zoo announced the building would close for a while, I thought maybe they had cooked up at least one major tweak... but revisiting, it was pretty much the same Tropic World experience as ever, and as it has been over the last couple of years for me, it felt empty a lot of the time.
You enter through a log now and I'd probably find this cool if it was my first visit, but it's the third version of Tropic World's entrance I've seen. You enter under the waterfall into South America, which seemed about the same. There was no sign of the new chutes from the inside, not that there needed to be. The highlight was seeing the cotton top tamarins for the first time in a while - and they were quickly scurrying the ropes above guests, the same way I've seen the sloth do before. I had forgotten the callitrichids could reach the area above guests' heads and somehow thought that was exclusive to the sloth, which was also visible sleeping. The anteater was also out and that's always a treat, it was very show-y, and squirrel monkeys are a lot of fun although I've always found them underserved in this environment, a little too small among such large trees. My photos of Gizmo and her baby look terrible from such a distance, too. There was no sign of the capuchins at all, which left us lacking in any robust monkeys. Still, South America remains as close to Tropic World's peak as anything in the building -- I kept glancing from the anteater, back to the tamarins, and over to the squirrel monkeys, and spent quite a while watching between all three. I love that feeling of activity surrounding me, a feeling rare and precious at Brookfield.
Tropic World Asia, however, was at it's weakest. The orangutans and otters were both very conspicuously absent, so the entire room was for two gibbons, which were being unusually non-showy today, moving a little along the back wall. I want to suggest that if the orangutan-gibbon mix works out, I'd love to see the zoo try to rotate some kind of Asian monkey in here part time, like what they are doing in the Gorilla Conservation Center, but I realize this probably will not work if the zoo continues to have rotating orangutan groups and if the orangutans will now have full access to the larger exhibit... hopefully we can see them using the gibbon's trees more at least. Just anything to make this feel less like an empty zone. I didn't fully absorb the presence of the new ropes - sort of noticed but second-guessed if they were new and if they were what I thought, etc.
There was one big, interesting change here - the small exhibit along the wall which has previously held tree shrew, pygmy slow loris, and fruit doves, has now been converted for Guam Kingfisher, with new signage talking about how much work the zoo has put into the breeding program. It's wonderful to finally see them on display, the viewing seemed decent (I love slow loris dearly as a species, but they didn't suit this enclosure well) and I think they fit a bit better than the doves, which are now in Feathers and Scales. I do wish loris could return but I don't think there's a suitable enclosure anywhere.
Allen's Swamp Monkey and Black Crested Mangabey signage remains in the hallway between Tropic World Asia and Tropic World Africa. It's very weird the zoo never took this down, especially as brand new Tropical Forests signage was present on the same wall. I wondered for a moment if this was a sign the zoo has a continued interest in these species, which were previously mixed with the current species, or maybe this was back when Brookfield had eastern colobus?
Tropic World Africa felt similarly empty but not as badly as I thought. The birds flew low but weren't visible long enough to be seen well. Despite the presence of guenons and colobus in the earlier enclosure, there was two of the former and three of the latter here, so the zoo appears to have a total of at least four or five Schmidt's red-tailed guenons and at least five Angolan colobus. The enclosure still felt empty though. I sat with a friend for a bit and watched as the monkeys moved around a bit. Across the bridge, the old gorilla exhibit is blocked off with garish fake cliffside wall elements. I understand why this is going to be a difficult space for the zoo to figure out how to handle - it has some odd quirks, and it's clearly built for larger primates - but I'm disappointed to see it boarded off like this. I almost wish they had left it open with some signage explaining about the gorillas' new home instead.
I think some of the Tropic World History signage throughout the building is newly added. There's also a great map of Tropical Forests, including Tropic World, near the building exit, which is the same that's been used since the upper gorilla path was closed and during the construction period. It does feel kind of anti-climactic in it's current form, but we'll see what happens when I follow the intended path from Tropic World into the Gorilla Conservation Center next time.
As a quick aside, it's interesting to think how much this building has changed in feeling over the years. when I was a child, it was 'Tropic World: A Primate's Journey' and there were illustrated signs emphasizing the connection between humans and primates and the role of choice. I think this could have tied in really well with the new construction, adding indoor/outdoor access as an expression of choice, but this theme has been gone for many years now. I was also reminded of the many years where Adventures with Agwa, about the connection of water, was where Tropical Forests has now been built. None of this altered the exhibit area, but the building's character has still changed. Tropic World has, in some ways, been through four or five cinarnations.
While in a lot of ways, Tropical Forests is a redemption story for Tropic World that allows the historic building to remain relevant by integrating it to the newer enclosures while no longer being ethically questionable with far fewer species remaining indoors, and I am impressed by the effort to integrate it and make it feel modernized. I still remain deeply concerned about the building's future though, especially if criticism shifts from the apes to the monkeys, and I really hope the zoo has some constructive plans for it, whether it be some structural changes while maintaining the same overall layout or a total reinvention. Even if these plans are a decade off, I think they should be making them now so they can be prepared. In the short term, I look forward to whatever plans shape for the former gorilla enclosure at least.
Trip Report
I covered every part of the zoo aside from The Swamp and the Hamill Family areas. I really hoped to make it back to these exhibits but time ran out. I was at the zoo from an hour or so after opening to close but somehow it felt like a half-day.
- I saw three Klipspringer on display today, and one was on an elevated are watching for guests. I have only ever seen one individual in the outdoor enclosure so this was quite a surprise. I didn't realize the zoo still had others but I'm very glad. They're a charming species. I wonder if one of these was the calf mentioned?
- I previously expressed concern about the sea lion exhibits being less active since three individuals were transferred; however, I still saw at least five sea lions across two enclosures, three swimming actively and two beached on land. I was wrong, still a very active space.
- As reported by
@pachyderm pro the Formal Pool still seems to be in the middle of some renovations, including 'The Grove'. I honestly don't recall if this was ever properly announced? I really missed the sight of the flamingos there.
- I did not see the Greater Prairie Chickens in the aviary this time, right after talking up the species to the friend who was with me. We did spot the Sandhill cranes and the egrets though. I remain so glad they added this space to the zoo as it's a real hidden gem.
- Speaking of, I found the red-eared slider and spotted turtle in the Hamill Family Nature Plaza's raised planters, after them being no-shows on my previous two exhibits. We also spotted just barely the box turtle under a log. Such a cool way to display these native species and I love the statues to help you learn to identify them.
- There were a number of species signed as off-exhibit in Feathers and Scales. Those signed as currently off exhibit: Puerto Rican Boa, Egyptian Tortoise (for a habitat update), Desert Grasslands Whiptail (blocked), and another empty exhibit was unsigned.
- The free flight room in Birds and Reptiles also seemed unusually active today and I believe I spotted around ten distinct birds, which feels like the most I've ever spotted there. The blue-throated macaw were being very vocal, but I also saw currasow, cock-of-the-rock, teals, aracari, blue-crowned motmot, and more.
- The frog statue in Feathers and Scales looks to be gone, although the George Rabb memorial information is still there.
- Pachyderm House was depressing this trip. The tortoise exhibit feels like such a bad fit for them and Layla the rhinoceros was asleep, I imagine capybara is still present but otherwise it's all empty and inaccessible. It's a really sad state for what was once one of my favorite exhibits, and the path between Australia and Pachyderms once one of my favorite spots at the zoo. I have to be glad it's being renovated, really, because the current situation is a damper.
- Highlights: One of the brown bears (Jess) seemed to jump into the water just to look at guests, while the other cub (Tim) popped out a moment to watch the crowd and then left. The Gray's monitor was very active around the exhibit, pacing and licking around. At the end of the day, the Small-Spotted Genet was sitting in its basket, but looking right at the window, got a great photo of this. The sloth bear was out later than I'd ever seen but once again was mostly pacing; Big Cats area was pretty dead by then, although the lion came out and roared, which the bear did not seem to mind. The Mexican gray wolves were not showy exactly but very visible, with one resting on a rock and another spending some time in the den before running through the prairie part of the exhibit a few times.
Questions
- When is the last time anyone here has seen Axhi the brown bear? I believe I saw him, but then I was second-guessing myself, and I know the zoo hasn't mentioned him as much since Tim and Jess arrived. (They mentioned him in an e-mail last week, but not when I wrote this.)
- I have missed Pistachio the sea turtle on my last two or three visits. Has anyone seen her? I'm particularly confused as the tank seems fully visible so I'm not sure where she is when she isn't on display.
- I only saw two giraffes on display. How many does the zoo currently hold?
- Did the Raggiana Birds of Paradise go back off display? I didn't see any sign of them in Feathers and Scales. Possible I missed them but I don't think so?
Commentary
I probably responded to way too many people and posts in my excitement.
Very cool that you can remember the original versions of these buildings. I do have memories of the Lincoln Park Zoo Great Ape House as it was a favorite at the zoo as a child but by the late nineties the primate buildings at both zoos were quite different already. I do recall how much enrichment the older ape building offered and the underground hilly nature of the building made it fascinating even without the apes. I didn't recall the existence of the outdoor enclosure at all until I saw photography of it. My memory was only of seeing the apes climbing on the indoor structures.
I've always found it really interesting that the zoo does not capitalize on this incident a lot. Binti Jua has remained at the facility for what will soon be thirty years since this happened but she's really just another gorilla most of the time. In a day when superstar zoo animals seem to be on the rise again, and after the more famous gorilla incident, it's even more surprising she's never been a real celebrity here. I suppose though it's respectable Brookfield hasn't viewed this as something to "cash in" on. I did notice the current signage has dropped the 'Jua' from her name - it's just Binti now.
These are great summaries of the best parts of the exhibits. They have a lot of diverse features - no matter how one feels about the features individually, it's a lot and they are more than just lawns - but they have a good way of letting you get up close while still offering places to hide.
I really appreciate the perspective of an arborist on this. It's easy for people who don't know plants to assume the exhibit should be teeming with them to look like a jungle atmosphere, but it's a bit different hearing it from someone who knows plants enough to have an idea what is and isn't possible from a technical standpoint. Very interesting point about the pruning, too. Based on the status of the pollinator garden and the changes at the Formal Pool gardens, I'm remaining hopeful all of this will simply take some time to take shape.
This is one of the reasons I think the zoo did not plant the exhibit too intensively - it's disappointing this has started so quickly but not surprising. The bison comparison is interesting - it's been so long since the members' preview I attended (and photos from that time I've lost) that I was wondering if I had misremembered the exhibit being more grassy at the time.
I do agree broadly that the new indoor enclosure is too small, smaller than the older one, and not very dynamic for a family troop. It'll be a real test when they end up having to spend their first winter in there.
I am a bigger fan of Regenstein Center for African Apes than you from the sound of it though. I do want to mention that after several years of also never seeing the great apes outdoors at Lincoln Park Zoo, during my monthly visits from 2023-24, I was able to see the bachelor gorillas use the Bamboo Forest grotto enclosure around three times. They usually remain outside briefly and then return indoors, particularly once they notice a crowd of guests amassing. I suspect part of why they prefer the indoor enclosure is a better sense of privacy. I have never seen the family troop outside though.
There is a precedent for this -- when the newer Seven Seas was constructed, the old building remained active for about a year (there was a fear once shut down it would never come back online) and they did, in fact, move the dophins back to the older stadium when an issue in the new building was discovered.
So disappointed to hear this officially confirmed. I'd been speculating about it since her absence in April (particularly since they darkened the exhibit) and hoped to wave down a keeper for a proper answer, and annoyed a friend on their visit to check. The zoo has worked with his species for decades and it's a huge blow to the collection. I hope they continue with wombat as the master plan recommends. I also find it sad as I know some photos in the gallery showed Mia being allowed outside for short periods, something I hoped one day to catch...
It's so cool that The Swamp's renovation into an aviary has enabled new species to be brought in. It's becoming such a more dynamic space and I couldn't have dreamed of a better transformation.
Cool the zoo is doing so much to the landscaping, but I totally missed out on the Grove or what it was intended to be until I saw the sign by the Formal Pool during my visit. Looks like a dining area near Tropical Forests and the playground. I definitely missed the birds at the Pool and look forward to their return, which... looks like it might have happened between your post and this one.
I came a little later and Hudson was resting but had the pleasure to see Jess (I believe) dive into the water and swim while looking directly at guests, and Tim watching without going in. My first experience seeing a bear active underwater in around two years - so much fun. I really wish we hadn't been in a rush north at the time.
I saw most of these, but it looks like I really missed out with the Koala! Based on the video, it looks like they actually came outside - that would have been such a joy to see! I wanted my friend with me to see the active pangolin so we ended up skipping the Swamp/Play Zoo corridor after visiting Tropical Forests in favor of working our way up to Africa. Shame as so far I've only seen the gray puffball vibe.
It was a really interesting aesthetic choice to set everything facing away from Tropic World and the path along the side of the existing building, rather than to build the exhibits adjance to it. There's another world where maybe you walk a path between Tropical Forests and Pachyderm House and can see pachyderms on one side and gorillas on the other. It's a lot more aesthetically pleasing to look at the enclosures facing the sun and mature trees instead of with a building back, although the building's south face feels so weird empty. The incline also makes the pathway viewing more comfortable but looks a little awkward from other angles. They're all really interesting design choices.
I didn't think about it as much on the visit until you pointed it out but it really is very unlike anything else in the zoo. Most of the existing habitats use signage that is gently themed or trying to be immersive; those that don't are mostly older exhibits. I wonder if this is a theme the zoo intends to make cohesive over future developments.
I do think it relies too much on electronic signage. I imagine some of this choice is to enable an easy 'switch' when the animals are rotated, but still.
I can definitely understand why you felt this way. I think it was smart thinking ahead on the zoo's part - 'future-proofing' - to include an outdoor enclosure for the monkeys, and get ahead of potential future criticism for not allowing them outdoor access. It won't be hard for the language used to advocate for outdoor access for apes to be recycled towards monkeys in the future and I've seen Lincoln Park's primate house and older posts about Saint Louis (before the outdoor trails) criticized along those lines - how could such intelligent animals be kept indoors year-round! Tropical Forests ensures nearly every primate will have outdoor access in the future, aside from the cotton-top tamarins and the African monkeys. I also expected this partly as the older plan for 'Gorilla Rescue' included a mandrill habitat.
This was one of my favorite aspects of the new exhibit and one of the biggest weaknesses of Tropic World. The immersion is wonderful and charmed so much as a child, but there's really no way to see the animals 'close' up and get a good look; as a child I had trouble keeping track of which monkeys were which from far away. I've found myself more drawn to some exhibits that allow for closer viewing of primates in recent years, and I was concerned for a long time that the new outdoor enclosures' scale might only replicate this issue outdoors rather than answer it, but the results so far are proving me very wrong, which I'm very excited about. I'm especially looking forward to the orangutan as their island has always been, for my money, worse than the more criticized gorilla enclosure and much less consistent to get good viewing. I used to forget they were there. In the exhibit's favor, one of my favorite orangutan photos is one perched in the highest spot in that messy of fake trees.
Very excited about this, too. The gibbons absolutely deserve outdoor access as much as the higher apes and it's a mix that has been successful at many zoos so I welcome it here, it's a great chance to let both species outdoors and given how gibbon pairs can be territorial, might open up new opportunities in the indoor exhibit via rotation systems. I like to hope wishfully the discussion a docent had with some other guests and myself later was a positive influence towards this.
Are orangutan known to be more destructive to plants than gorillas and chimpanzees? I'd believe it and it'd certainly explain the design choices.
I really like how the log tunnel and the bamboo poles add a sense of immersion to this habitat, feeling like the guest area is leaning into it. I think this is the one area the orangutan habitat feels a bit more thoughtfully-designed compared to the gorillas and monkeys, which otherwise are superior as you mentioned.
I thought that was what that was! Very interesting to see how this is utilized. I know the ape cognition trainings at Lincoln Park tend to be a very wonderful surprise for people.
Definitely one of the highlights of the exhibit by far and one of my favorite moments on opening day will always be seeing the gorillas climbing up the logs to access the higher platforms.
More large, mature trees would have been a welcome improvement on the aesthetics of the exhibit, but the apes seem to be so quick to destruction that I'm getting less surprised to realize why they didn't plant things out too much - ripping apart bushes and pulling plants out of the ground already!
We were definitely here at different points, as at my time the bachelor gorillas were both somewhat active, with one sitting right by the glass for a while enchanting young visitors.
Absolutely agreed on scale. It's also worth pointing out Dallas, Houston and Disney are able to make design choices based on their tropical climate that are not possible in Illinois where the exhibits will have to survive harsh winters, more in line with Bronx. You can cultivate different plants and different accomodations are needed.
It'll be interesting to revisit this as the exhibit develops.
Omaha's Gorilla Valley and the Regenstein Center for African Apes both compare interestingly with Tropical Forests for me, and it'll take me some time to make up my mind between both Chicago facilities. I would safely prefer Tropical Forests over the other midwestern gorilla habitats I've seen (Saint Louis, Toledo, Milwaukee) although some of this might be taste.
It's a great little photo op area or somewhere to take a break. It'll be interesting to see if these sorts of areas and aesthetics carry on throughout the park during future developments or remain specific to Tropical Forests.
I'm not sure if I'm totally aware of all of the design quirks, but I imagine one of those in mind is the fact the older exhibit offered 360-degree viewing and the recent findings that this bothered and stressed the gorillas, leading to parts of the path being closed off. I wouldn't be surprised if something with the indoor off-exhibit holding was a factor as well.
God, I should hope so, it would be wonderful to see them in one space, like the colobus-gorilla mix at Omaha's Gorilla Valley exhibit. You would probably need a sufficient creep for the monkeys to escape which I'm not sure is possible but hopefully was considered in design.
It's a really interesting comparison between them and Lincoln Park's dayrooms. I actually did not feel like they were similar at all when I was there in person, but looking back over photos, the similarities are very obvious. I think the 'feel' of the building distracted me a bit. The trees here feel like they are a lot thicker than those used at Lincoln Park, but offer more climbing enrichment, and the latter has the stylistic choice to include the large windows to the outdoor enclosures directly behind the dayrooms, while the Conservation Center cannot rely on such a trick due to the nature of the new Tropical Forests habitat, relying more on the murals - but this is kind of a superficial difference that affects guest aesthetics more than the animals, as they stil share the fake rocks and platforms in a similar style. I definitely think my feelings on this exhibit will clear up over time.
I really hope the zoo can find opportunities to make these spaces temporarily accessible to regular visitors. It's pretty cool to have the Conservation Leadership Academy integrated into an exhibit building but I really feel it makes the building itself feel a lot smaller from the inside from a guest perspective than it actually is, and makes it harder to fully appreciate the wonderful vertical space.
Really disappointing that the substrates were not added after all. I maintain even more strongly that there must be some technical reasons (possibly the water filter ones speculated previously) that they aren't able to do this as it seems like such an obvious no-brainer that it would surely have been done now if it were possible, if not much sooner.
It'll be very exciting to see the orangutans taking advantage of the much larger space! I've never been a big an of the ugly island setup for them, it'll be great to see them using the ground level at long last - it could let the Asia exhibit feel less empty finally, too.
I look forward to seeing how this space is developed, as disappointed as I am a plan wasn't already in place, hopefully it means the zoo is being thoughtful about how to use it. It has the potential to be a great habitat for the right residents, but I maintain my concern it should really be used for a larger group or species.
If the zoo were to turn it into a lemur exhibit for example, which is the popular suggestion, I would hope they would bring in a larger group since it is a large space and would make for a more dynamic and impressive display... perhaps a smaller lemur could then be featured in Ramar's old space, or maybe if it could be converted into a nocturnal space-- no, no, it's probably too small for that.
My dad keeps suggesting they put rescued chimpanzees in there, which I think we all understand on zoochat why this would not be a good idea (apes kept all-indoors again!) but I found a little gently amusing.
This is a great description of the overall project -- it feels very much an opening shot of the zoo's new "make no small plans" ethos. It's easy to criticize small details and I'm sure I sound far more negative than I intend, but the whole plan is so much more ambitious than it needed to be. The gorilla indoor exhibit was the main point of criticism, and therefore the bare minimum would have been to let the existing gorilla troop outdoors. The orangutans needed an outdoor enclosure for obvious reasons, but also the gibbons would have needed it next - that's being done, there's the bachelor gorilla enclosure, the mixed South American monkey exhibit is a real highlight.
I do want to add as well that for all of this ambition... the exhibit matches the concept art pretty closely. There's no sign of the uneasy compromises that stifled Great Bear Wilderness and Wild Encounters, where major elements were shafted during development and design to bring down costs. The idea was executed almost exactly as intended. This did impress me, as I spent a lot of the process half-expecting some scaling back; instead, we were scaled up with the unexpected announcement that gibbons would be eventually being introduced outside and that the monkeys and gorillas can rotate!
Very well put here, too. This is really the beginning of a new era and an exhibit that is still growing - in the two weeks since it opened, the orangutans are only just letting themselves outside. Imagine what kind of experience it might become in just a year, and if improvements are made to Tropic World, the whole Tropical Forests region will benefit as well. Even if the new habitats are not necessarily the best in the country for their animals, they are still a leap forward compared to the rest of the campus and if the whole zoo is reinvented along this level of quality, it'll still be a contender for the top ten nationally.
I hope someone can shed light on this sometime, it's a little irritating. I get some sense that the keepers start winding down their animal-related duties around three and that might be part of why.
Cool you saw all three prairie species! I missed the chickens myself. Always good to see the wolves active, too, which I did manage - it's such a great exhibit but so easy to miss out on the animals as a result of them having access to so many places to relax.
I'm betting right there with you. No luck with the bettong this visit but one of the echidna was active near the end of the day, so might've just been timing. It's definitely going to feel empty with the wombat enclosure both empty and significantly darkened.
I think at the time the Formal Pool was still just closed for the replanting mentioned in other posts, but it was definitely a bummer to not see the flamingos out there on such a hot summer day. They add such a great touch of color and activity to the pool. I like pelicans but I've never seen them too active there - sort of forget the zoo has them. I've actually never really seen pelicans do much anywhere aside a little bit at Omaha.
I've been hoping to organize one for a while, and Tropical Forests seemed like a great opportunity - but it didn't work out. Maybe the new exhibit, as much as it motivated us all to be physically present, was too exciting a distraction to figure out a place and time to meet.
Safari Grill / BZ Red Hots might be the other one you mean? By the dolphins? I haven't had Wild Burger in years and it sems like it's always closed when I'm around there, but I usually reach Great Bear Wilderness mid-afternoon which may be a factor.
I tried sweet potato fries at Graze Kitchen for the first time on the same day around noon and had pretty much the same reaction -- they were wonderful!! I've had sweet potato fries elsewhere but never enjoyed them the same way. They're just so weirdly good there. I think me and my buddy each had a burger and they were fine.
It's so interesting reading from the rest of you about monkeys bending tree branches and ripping plants out of the ground. I don't sympathize with the discussions the zoo probably has had about this and how much planting was worthwhile, but it's also amusing to see all of the zoochat "apes are destructive" discourse visualized here.
It does seem like they should have had some foresight if the planting was too young for this, and with the orangutans unwilling to go outside at first, it does in some way feel like we may have opened a little too early... but at the same time, I complained that not opening until August you would lose the summer season publicity boost and the apes wouldn't have a full season to be seen in their enclosures.
Very similar experiences on both counts. The spider monkeys loved the crowds and the capuchins were missing inside. I'm excited for when they make it out, they're such an engaging species when you can get a good look -- spider monkeys and capuchins both, from a distance, blur into kind of 'generic monkey' and their (non-shared) unique traits don't stand out until you get a close look.
I agree that it could use a bit more and I thought this pretty strongly when I saw it, but since I started writing all these responses, there were some cool photos uploaded of the orangutans (well, Sophia only so far, I believe) climbing those bamboo poles, which I initially dismissed as a great climbing mechanism. Going to be fun to see how it works out!
I'd be curious to hear more from these comparisons. I recall being a little underwhelmed by Saint Louis' gorilla exhibit but I think I also unfairly rushed it because gorillas are a familiar, local species and they only had two or three bachelors at the time, so probably not a respectful look. I'm still wrestling between this and Lincoln Park's gorilla exhibits. Haven't made Atlanta yet or visited Riverbanks.
Very true. The amount of activity I saw that day felt kind of lucky and abnormally high in my book for gorillas. It's great to see them enjoying the new spaces.
Bummer you didn't get to see the dayroom yet. Look forward to your thoughts when you do.
Very similar experience here. I haven't seen the rope side exhibit this active in years so totally forgotten how much it helps. Guests love animals over their heads. Sqiuirrel monkeys really are just too small for an exhibit of this scale by themselves. Look forward to them joining outdoors.
This is a big reason I complain a lot about the exhibit. The small-clawed otters are tiny and the orangs, until now, were confined to that ugly, ugly island, so a lot of the room is just a pair of gibbons at any time and while it's a great exhibit for them and I love gibbons, it always leaves the exhibit feeling very empty. Part of me hopes if the gibbons take to do the outdoor enclosure they could introduce some Asian monkey part-time, but it probably wouldn't work becuase they'd have nowhere for the monkey in the winter.
I actually was thinking recently it might not have been a bad idea to move tapirs and pygmy hippo back to Tropic World as a temporary measure pending future new exhibits. I've always had mixed feelings on moving them out because they shouldn't have been kept indoors year-round, so it was good to get them outside, but it also feels emptier without terrestrial species as you point out. I definitely think moving the capybara here could be a good idea, too.
I do agree broadly that South America is easily the best part of the complex, and while it may not be as ground-breaking as some hoped, if the zoo can keep this level of quality up in future renovations, we'll still have a great facility on our hands by the end, I think. I'd still venture a possible top ten if things pan out.
Yup, this is exactly part of the problem. The building's felt empty even before Tropical Forests was opened, and now if the gorillas, South American monkeys, orangutans and gibbons are outside, there's not much reason to go inside the old building besides the anteater. (The African monkeys are also in the gorilla building so they can't act as a tease.) One of my favorite memories of the building as a kid was looking up from the aquatic/terrestrial inhabitants to the primates in the trees and that feeling is pretty gone, unfortunately.
Tropic World was one of my favorites as a kid but I really don't think it can survive in it's current state. It feels like so much of the discussion becomes "it's so empty, but I'd feel guilty putting anything in there" and that just underlines that there are a lot of problems and very few solutions. Time will tell if it needs a complete reinvention or a bold refresh, but I really hope the zoo internally is examining the building's future more than is obvious.
Look forward to watching the presentation later and reporting back if I notice any news not committed to text. The concept art certainly suggests a very ambitious vision for the future.
This is fascinating to me. Considering Omaha seems to have discontinued their elephant-zebra mix and Dallas seems to be needing to do so as well, I'm not entirely sold elephant mixes are feasible, but at the same time, I'm always a believer that we can learn from mistakes and do better - just look at the evolution of jungle buildings. It's possible Brookfield could pull it off, and if so, this would help as a destination zoo and make for an impressive display. Should it not work out, it at least looks like the long-term plans will offer plenty of space for animals if separation is required.
It seems noticeable Dr. Mike is being very open and interested about exploring mixed and rotational spaces.
While the meerkat habitat at Desert's Edge is fairly effective as it is, I love this approach and I hope they stick with it. It will ensure that even if the megafauna are inactive there is something to see and I think it's important to remind guests of smaller African species living alongside the larger megafauna.
My main concern with the Pachyderm House developments, again, is the risk that if there is no winter viewing for meerkats, or antelope, or hippos or crocodiles, that it may turn into a complete dead zone in the winter, and I really hope they have some plans for that. Even if some species have to be off-display in winter, I'd rather it be one or two than a larger number.
