ZOO Antwerpen - Monkey House (Ruffed lemur)

The exhibit for red ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) inside the Monkey House in ZOO Antwerpen. This is one of the most aesthetically pleasing exhibits in the house which says more about the house than this exhibit.

The Monkey House was opened in 1978 replacing an even older building on the same site. The 13 species of primates and 2 species of xenarthra inhabiting the house all have all-indoor exhibits.

ZOO Antwerpen, July 2011.

in October the red-ruffed lemurs moved to the ring-tailed lemur enclosure, but I don't remember which species now lives here...

Does this photo show practically the entire exhibit? Is that a tiny, bare, lemur Christmas tree slightly to the left of the center-point of the enclosure?

Is there the financial backing for an overhaul of Antwerp Zoo? The book "What Zoos Can Do" mentions new projects concerning lions, tigers and leopards, as well as the expansion of the zoo. There is also talk of some primates getting outdoor exhibits, and a "major transformation of the zoo". Antwerp remains an important establishment in terms of its historic structures, but has it fallen slightly behind the times in terms of exhibitry?

snowleopard said:

Is there the financial backing for an overhaul of Antwerp Zoo? The book "What Zoos Can Do" mentions new projects concerning lions, tigers and leopards, as well as the expansion of the zoo. There is also talk of some primates getting outdoor exhibits, and a "major transformation of the zoo". Antwerp remains an important establishment in terms of its historic structures, but has it fallen slightly behind the times in terms of exhibitry?

Click to expand...

Over the last years the Antwerp Zoo is renovating and building a lot. For the most recent works, see my posts in the Antwerp-forum here.
The Antwerp Zoo stood still in the '90's because of a financial crisis.
Since the new director in 2001 (who retired 1,5 year ago) the Antwerp Zoo has made big steps forward, like new hippopotamus, tapir, Nocturama, Reptile House, takin, spectacled bears, ... enclosures.

About the book "What Zoos Can Do": the lions are housed since the end of this summer in a whole new exhibit and it's realy big for Antwerp standards and zoos nearby.
The jaguars will leave and the Amur tigers and Amur leopards will get whole new enclosures on the current place and some space around. This was planned for 2012, but with all the big works going on at this moment, the project is delayed.

The primates are not planned for the near future, but they will once. The whole Zoo (and Planckendael) must be facelifted by 2020.

For now the Antwerp Zoo will be one big construction place/yard for the next years. At the moment, the Harbor Seal Pool, takin enclosure and Vriesland (this building is back open since today) getting a (big) renovation. Next year, the Aquarium will be closing again, the zebra's and buffalo's will get new exhibits, the old Buffalo-, Pig-, Lama- and Rhino House will be renovated. And so on every year.

I am happy to live in Antwerp these years .