I am happy the orangutans finally have an outdoor exhibit that is not the overhead tunnel or occasional use of the chimpanzee exhibit. At the same time this is not much better than the old chimp grottos that great ape passage sought to replace (considering its just a lazy renovation). I understand resources are and were toght for the project but no one said the zoo needed to get a 3rd species of ape before they had an exhibit for it.
I took this photo in 2017 (with fake termite mound added):
The 'new' version of the exhibit is as hideous as ever, including the yellow paint job and the yellow box where there was once a Fred Flintstone termite mound. The zoo should, at some point in time, just bulldoze this entire area and start all over again.
@snowleopard That was the initial plan. Bulldoze the grottos and maybe renovate the nighthouse, but then the zoo acquired a pair of orangutans before they had lined up the funds. The funds obviously never came in and hence here we are. It’s still better off than the situation for the last 2 years where the only outdoor access the orangutans had consistently was the trail to this complex.
I believe the termite mound is on the other side of the yellow block hidden from view. The Orangutans get access to the yard outside the pachyderm building once or twice a week, but on those days the Chimps have to be kept in the indoor exhibit.
I wish the Zoo could've renovated the old Patas monkey Yard for the Orangs, adding in climbing structures and netting and had an overhead walkway from the triple grottos building.