This is an outstanding photo! Some of us have been calling this project the Red Ape Church but it looks more like some kind of futuristic space station from this image. I like the fact that you can see the small Desert Dome near the bottom right-hand corner. Was the ride working on your visit? Were there any orangutans on the metal towers?
@snowleopard Thank you kindly, @snowleopard. Of my four visits since this building has existed, the ride has never run. I would say the weather can account for this but it was 70F yesterday. Fortunately for all four of these visits, an orangutan has eventually come up and encircled the entire vine trail. I believe it has been Rocky every single time, here is a photo.
@snowleopard@Moebelle I have mixed feelings about this enclosure. From a husbandry standpoint, this enclosure is BRILLIANT for orangutans. The indoor enclosure provides multiple climbing opportunities, and the vine trail/metal towers the Orangutans have at their disposal is simply stunning to behold. From an aesthetic standpoint, this could have been much better executed. I saw in an earlier thread that this was supposed to emulate a Malaysian Spirit House, but this looks more like if the ships from 2001: A Space Odyssey were sold for scrap metal and Orangutans were let loose in their remains. If they really wanted to emulate an Asian feeling, they should have had a Sumatran Longhouse with glass panels on the roof, which orangutans could cross over. Think Topeka's gorilla enclosure, but with forested enclosures on both sides like Denver's or Leipzig's Orangutan enclosure, complete with live trees, windmill palms, bamboo, marginata plants, the works. The remaining money would be sent towards conservation efforts in Camp Leakey and sanctuaries in Sumatra.
