At first glance, the rockwork in the background appears to be too low and therefore accessible for escaping apes. However, by zooming in on the photo it is clear that the enclosure is netted over. What did you make of the African Forest section of the zoo? It's a revamp of an older area and it looks like a decent renovation for the primates.
@snowleopard Before visiting, the only impression I got from the African Forest were promos made by the zoo. I was most excited to see this more than any of the other exhibits, even over Land of the Tiger and Range of the Jaguar. After seeing it myself, I believe it was a wonderful, or I should say successful renovation compared to the old photos I've seen. The bonobos especially received the biggest upgrade of the bunch, going from a bare island to having two, tall and good sized enclosures. If I'm nitpicking, they are a little bare compared to the other African Forest exhibits. The cherry on top of course is the Kapok tree, the zoo's own version of Omaha's Desert Dome (tall structure viewable from many parts of the zoo), it's nothing like anything I've ever seen before. It's the first time I've seen a massive 'tree' be used as the entire exhibit - not to mention every species gets a chance to explore it. Sadly for me, I only got to see colobus in there on both days.
If I'm being honest, while my overall impression is 100% positive, I might be acting over critical but I was a little surprised to see it received an AZA award for innovation. I know I just praised the Kapok tree, and it is unique, but I wasn't exactly impressed with the rest of the area (minus the size of the gorilla space). Especially since overhead tunnels are becoming a tiring trend IMO. Maybe my impressions would be a little different if the tunnels mimicked the ones in Land of the Tiger. Regardless, again, every species has a good home, and it's several times better than the former Great Apes of the World.
By the way, going off of what I said about the private space I mentioned earlier, turns out it's actually the former bonobo exhibit, and the secondary gorilla yard, which you have seen before.
Thanks for the detailed reply. Jacksonville Zoo, which I visited way back in 2008, still seems like a top-notch zoo. All the geographical zones (Range of the Jaguar, Land of the Tiger, African Forest, Wild Florida, the great boardwalk area known as Africa) are mainly quite good, with some stellar parts and very few big flaws. It will be intriguing to see the next project, as Manatee River will be near the zoo's entrance and hopefully a great first impression. I think after that then lions will be the focus, but this zoo has been excellent for years and I fully expect it to maintain a high standard.
