Thank you for the terrific photos of this large new complex that recently opened at the Virginia Zoo. There was certainly no expense spared in terms of "theming" but was there a brilliant animal habitat that stood out from the rest? I'm fairly certain that the new Asian area is the single greatest investment/expansion ever undertaken by the zoo.
That's a tough question, all the exhibits provide their inhabitants with ample room. The tiger exhibit is a good size for the cats with a waterfall, stream, and pool. The tapir exhibit is huge for a pair of tapir.
I would say I was most impressed by the orangutan exhibit even though the apes haven't been given access to it yet. (Both orangs came to the zoo from Brookfield Zoo's Tropic World and have never been outside before -- the zoo is waiting til the temperatures are high enough overnight for an extended period of time in case the orangutans decide they don't want to come back in.)
In any case, I haven't seen any large, outdoor exhibits for orangutans in any zoos that I've visited. When I visited the Columbus Zoo the Asian Islands section was closed for the winter. The Philadelphia Zoo has an outdoor orangutan exhibit with a few nice trees but isn't the largest. The tall climbing structures were impressive and I'm anxious to see what the orangutan pair thinks of their new exhibit.
