Not anymore. About a year ago they moved all the pachyderms in Tropic World to the Pachyderm House (the zoo had extra space since the hippos were sent away), so now they have access to outdoor yards. Also the baboons are gone from the outdoor "island" next to Tropic World.
The following species are remaining in Tropic World: Asia: White-Cheeked Gibbon, Asian Small-Clawed Otter and Orangutan Africa: Western Lowland Gorilla, Red-Capped Mangabey, Colobus Monkey, Allen's swamp monkey South America: Giant Anteater, Squirrel Monkey, Two-Toed Sloth, Callimico, Cotton-Top Tamarin, Black-Handed Spider Monkey, Golden Lion Tamarin (The GLT's sometimes are allowed to be free ranging in the summer)
-Most of the areas have free flying birds but i do not know the species.
Not anymore. About a year ago they moved all the pachyderms in Tropic World to the Pachyderm House (the zoo had extra space since the hippos were sent away), so now they have access to outdoor yards. Also the baboons are gone from the outdoor "island" next to Tropic World.
The following species are remaining in Tropic World: Asia: White-Cheeked Gibbon, Asian Small-Clawed Otter and Orangutan Africa: Western Lowland Gorilla, Red-Capped Mangabey, Colobus Monkey, Allen's swamp monkey South America: Giant Anteater, Squirrel Monkey, Two-Toed Sloth, Callimico, Cotton-Top Tamarin, Black-Handed Spider Monkey, Golden Lion Tamarin (The GLT's sometimes are allowed to be free ranging in the summer)
-Most of the areas have free flying birds but i do not know the species.
The baboons bred like crazy and were sterilized in 1992; the last of them were old and euthanized two or three years back. Traditional baboon species are being 'phased out' of some zoos as they breed so easily in the wild and zoos prefer conservation stories. A longtime volunteer implied to me they might still replace it with a new baboon exhibit, but it was not a promise or a guarantee. I would welcome a new primate exhibit myself.
I have mixed feelings on Tropic World. Every time I visit Brookfield (which is usually once or twice a year) the exhibit seems more and more bare than last time. My first visit it was amazing and a breathe of fresh air, but my last visit it was incredibly boring. I think it needs a bit of renovation, and I don't mean 'gut the building and start from scratch' but there's some changes it could use to be more exciting. I know there's been consideration in the master plan of opening up some outdoor exhibits and I would welcome that, especially for the gorillas.
I don't dislike the exhibit but it feels like it could use some improvement.
I have mixed feelings on Tropic World. Every time I visit Brookfield (which is usually once or twice a year) the exhibit seems more and more bare than last time. My first visit it was amazing and a breathe of fresh air, but my last visit it was incredibly boring. I think it needs a bit of renovation, and I don't mean 'gut the building and start from scratch' but there's some changes it could use to be more exciting. I know there's been consideration in the master plan of opening up some outdoor exhibits and I would welcome that, especially for the gorillas.
I don't dislike the exhibit but it feels like it could use some improvement.
The exhibit's stock seems to be dwindling a lot - the mandrills, hippo and tapir are gone, and the gorilla troop seems to have shrank over the years. It does make me wonder if a renovation might be done when the stock is low enough.
It looks very dated and 'hard' to me. I'm surprised they haven't floored this exhibit with soft substrate by now. It would help to take away the bare appearance and give the Gorillas something more comfortable to walk on(if done properly).
Saying everything can travel 100 feet or whatever without touching the ground doesn't really benefit largely terrestrial Apes like Gorillas.
It looks very dated and 'hard' to me. I'm surprised they haven't floored this exhibit with soft substrate by now. It would help to take away the bare appearance and give the Gorillas something more comfortable to walk on(if done properly).
Saying everything can travel 100 feet or whatever without touching the ground doesn't really benefit largely terrestrial Apes like Gorillas.
It was ground-breaking in the eighties but it's age has caught up with it, and as the stock decreases, it becomes less and less impressive. The gorilla exhibit shows it the worst, as it is almost purely rockwork and fake trees. The whole exhibit could use a lot of natural substrate, and given the removal of many of the tapir and hippo, I would be fine to see the ponds go. Move the Asian small-clawed otters elsewhere. There's also some small side-exhibits that could be re-stocked for smaller primates at eye-level. If nothing else changes in Tropic World though, I want the zoo to make expansive outdoor yards for the gorillas and orangutans. The latter species is difficult to see and both are in the most 'fake' sections of the buildings.
All that said, I'd very much like the current concept and building to be modified, rather than demolished completely. It needs an upgrade and update rather than a new exhibit.
