I think they mow the grass in all the Ape enclosures so it looks smart and the animals are fully visible. But I think if they left two or three patches uncut and added some of my 'tough' plants in those same areas, it would still look well cared for but would more beneficial for the Apes, creating visual barriers and more interest for them.
If I could do only one thing, I'd put a roof over the enclosure. A nice high mesh roof would expand the climbing space considerably. It would need a central supporting post or tower, which would also support a larger climbing frame. The part of the roof over the moat would have to be solid panels to stop the bonobos hanging from the mesh and trying to break the glass - but even so I think it would be the easiest way to expand the enclosure.
I agree, I said ages ago they should do that, especially considering the shape of the enclosure limiting the amount of climbing structures. They should do this with all of them, it would encourage the gorillas outside, give more brachiating opportunities to the orangs and just generally make the enclosures bigger and more useable.
I agree with Gentle Lemurs roof idea it would provide alot more cover and alot more climbing oppurtunities.This could actually succeed in the Gorillas coming out
I prefer Pertinax's idea of long grass and tough plants which would provide foraging for the Apes aswell as visual barriers etc.
Good ideas chaps
In an ideal World I would roof over all the Ape enclosures as per Gentle Lemur's description for the Bonobos- these enclosures actually lend themselves to it and could be made to look far superior to what they are now.
I agree with lots of you that in the enclosures there should just be more rough plants. In the wooley monkey encloure and pale headed saki encloures there is lots of foligae. In the wooley monkeys enclore near the elephant house there are lots of them, around 10 or so and they dont reck the plants (plus they are only half the size of the bonobos). If twycross added vegetation to most of the chimp and the bonobo enclosures it would look far beter.
