Whittier Southeast Asian Exhibits 1983 - Entry Sign

This set of exhibits opened in 1983, replacing several baboon and ape exhibits. This set of exhibits still exists, and was renovated and rebranded Absolutely Apes several years ago. The exhibits include an indoor monkey house with two exhibits, two orangutan exhibits, two siamang island exhibits, a medium walkthrough aviary, and renovation of a large walkthrough aviary. I believe the original inhabitants in the monkey house were silvered leaf monkeys and douc langurs, and the orangutans were Bornean in one enclosure and Sumatrans in the other.

I first remember there being doucs and fracois' but that memory couldn't be from before 1988.

This is one part of the zoo I don't remember at all... didn't spend much time at the monkeys. When was this area renovated?

It opened in 1983 and was renovated into what is now called "Absolutely Apes" around 2003 (estimate on my part). Absolutely Apes uses the core of this exhibit. The siamang islands are gone, but the langur building has been combined into one exhibit, and the two orangutan exhibits were combined into one and modified to create the new orangutan exhibit, but most of the rockwork in the new exhibit was original to the Whittier Southeast Asian Exhibits.

I would love to see some old photos of this area before this exhibit was done, I barely remember it but I think the baboon exhibits were numerous and open-air, probably horribly substandard compared to today's exhibits like Baboon Reserve at Bronx Zoo.

I was reading an older book I have about the SDZoo, and it talks about the new Primate exhibits on Bird and Primate Mesa, it mentions a boardwalk that takes you past siamangs, and new exhibits for orangutans and pygmy chimps! Did this ever happen, or was it just the plan originally? It sounds like one of the orang exhibits was intended for bonobos. This book ca 1983 doesn't call it the Whittier Southeast Asian Exhibits, but it shows photos and it most certainly is this exhibit.

geomorph said:

I would love to see some old photos of this area before this exhibit was done, I barely remember it but I think the baboon exhibits were numerous and open-air, probably horribly substandard compared to today's exhibits like Baboon Reserve at Bronx Zoo.

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The baboon exhibits were kind of like small, mesh-enclosed versions of the older great ape exhibits that were nearby. All concrete with a few natural boulders set into them; at least the animals had the opportunity to get up and away from visitors. I remember geladas, drills and Hamadrayas on display, but there were at least 5 exhibits.

The bonobo exhibit may have been planned to attach to this set of exhibits, but it was built a little further away and about 9 years later. The Whittier Southeast Asian Exhibits were the first phase of what they called The Heart of the Zoo, which was their new name for what they had previously called Bird and Primate Mesa, the flat area directly in front of the entry area where the old monkey quadrangle and bird quadrangle buildings were as well as the ape and baboon grottos and the two huge flight aviaries. The Heart of the Zoo II was what they were going to call the next phase of the redevelopment there, but it turned into 6 seperate developments over the years. Those developments included: Gorilla Tropics, with gorillas and several small aviaries and the renovation of the Scripps Aviary; the Treehouse Restaurant complex; Wings of Australasia aviary complex; Gorilla Tropics 2, with bonobos, monkeys, and several more small aviaries; renovation of the Whittier Southeast Asian Exhibits, renaming it Absolutely Apes; and finally, Monkey Trails and Forest Tails. I think I put them in the right order!? They are excellent facilities, although the Wings of Australasia is only average. I must say though that Monkey Trails is a confusing convoluted mess as far as visitor flow is concerned to reach the other exhibits.

Oh I forgot an interesting detail on the old Bird and Primate Mesa. There was a wood poled netted enclosure built circa 70's that had colobus monkeys in it, seperate from the main monkey quadrangle building. In the mid 80's it was renovated to house golden monkeys on loan from China. After those monkeys went away, I believe there were colobus in there again? Anyway, if LA Zoo had received golden monkeys this year it would not have been the first time in the US.

geomorph said:

Oh I forgot an interesting detail on the old Bird and Primate Mesa. There was a wood poled netted enclosure built circa 70's that had colobus monkeys in it, seperate from the main monkey quadrangle building. In the mid 80's it was renovated to house golden monkeys on loan from China. After those monkeys went away, I believe there were colobus in there again? Anyway, if LA Zoo had received golden monkeys this year it would not have been the first time in the US.

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Before the wood-poled structure was built, there was a big steel-arched exhibit on the same spot. It was like a small version of the giant walk-through aviaries, but viewing was from all four sides. Originally held colobus.

San Diego, LA, Minnesota and Woodland Park all had temporary exhibits of Golden Monkeys in the early 80s--during the "rent-a-panda" era.