Bornean Orang Utan infant, Bristol ca.1972

Taken in the old Ape House, which was very old-fashioned. Pertinax has corrected my identification, this is James (aka Jimmy James).

Loads of enrichment in this exhibit! However, the photo is great for historical perspective.

good reminder of where we've come from.

DejaVuKatz said:

good reminder of where we've come from.

Click to expand...

from apes?

I was thinking more of where zoo culture has come from and how we are trying to escape from the steel bars and unnatural surroundings.

I agree, even 40 years ago Bristol's Ape House was many decades out of date. To be fair, the bars of the cages (indoors and outside) did give the orangs the opportunity to climb a little - the concrete bowl type of orang exhibits in other zoos were even worse.

Alan

gentle lemur said:

I agree, even 40 years ago Bristol's Ape House was many decades out of date.

Click to expand...

I believe this house(obviously not the Gorilla extension built on the end) was originally the old Lion House, before it became an Ape House. The Orangutans used the outside cage previously inhabited by the famous Gorilla 'Alfred'.

Always been interested in how the old pair of Orangutans, Jack and Jill, only ever produced this one baby late in their life, though Jill was a good mother to him.