The concept/storyline of the bonobo project at Planckendael, named 'Expedition Bonobo', that is set to be completed in the coming weeks is that the visitors assume the role of scientists traveling into the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to study bonobos.
They first arrive in the port of Kinshasa, which the huge concrete slab at the former site of the African section playground is going to become, with a ship structure that will serve as theming as well as the new African section playground.
Then they track through the jungle (the new wooden route through the foresty area next to the existing and mostly unchanged island) before arriving in the ranger/field study camp (the new bonobo house. The different indoor exhibits and the visitor areas will represent different aspects like a ranger/field study camp, a clearing in the rainforest, giant rainforest trees, termite mounts and tool use by bonobos, the dense jungle and the border between jungle and civilization (existing African village).
Below is a design of the new bonobo house. I unfortunately don't have a public one for the entire project. Zoo inside
I can't wait to see this in a few weeks. The Barbary Macaque exhibit looks to be very good, and the Bonobo habitat appears to be huge from your photos. It's interesting that the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp has two zoos that each receive approximately one million annual visitors.
