it's pretty ghastly, and (I know I say this sort of thing frequently) but it's quite extraordinary that a zoo in a wealthy first-world country should have such appalling cages.
I'm guessing that there were three of these cages (from the other photo it looks like the next one along used to be two). I know they are better now than they used to be - bare concrete - but really why have they not long ago sent the orangutans somewhere better and then built more appropriate facilities before getting them back again?
Indeed - the traditional three enclosures to give one each for gorillas, orangs, and chimps, which have now been reduced to two as two are knocked through.
They've done a tolerably good job on doing up the inside (using the whole visitor area to expand the indoor enclosure) but as for the outdoors, despite it not being quite as bad as it has been, the images speak for themselves.
- but really why have they not long ago sent the orangutans somewhere better and then built more appropriate facilities before getting them back again?
Simple answer-because they do not have the money to build an expensive brand new enclosure for this most demanding species to house properly.
They can afford to do smaller projects every so often, but not something on this scale which is why the old house remains. Even the refurbishments giving far more space indoors, were done inhouse to save on cost. They talk about raising funds to build something new but that will be years away- if ever. Meantime they still have this eyesore which I imagine raises more critisism from the visiting public( as it does on here) than anything else in the Zoo. So probably its not a good advert for what is otherwise a continually improving medium-sized zoo.
Personally I'd prefer to see them moved permanently- Chester have room for at least some in their Realm building.
Just a suggestion, but I'm sure it's been said elsewhere that the chimps rarely use their large outside area. Why not knock down the dividing wall in the Orang ' exhibit ' and swap them over as a temporary measure? The Orang seem to spend more time outside
Just a suggestion, but I'm sure it's been said elsewhere that the chimps rarely use their large outside area. Why not knock down the dividing wall in the Orang ' exhibit ' and swap them over as a temporary measure? The Orang seem to spend more time outside
There are two adult male Orangs, a female and her young. So they need three seperate indoor areas, which only the current house has, not to mention having to use the single Chimp outdoor area in rotation. It wouldn't work.
