I disagree, it wasn't designed solely for the orang utans, it was designed to make an architectural statement too. And success or failure in terms of animal welfare is one thing but as a zoo exhibit there are more factors to consider.
You are putting words into my mouth. I didn't mention animal welfare, because it can be so subjective and controversial, but I trust someone is observing and collecting data on the orang's use of the building. Active orangs which take an interest in their surroundings make a good exhibit for any zoo, so I have no doubt that must be the main criterion for judging this exhibit, particularly as the zoo's publicity has emphasised that it was their principal aim. Other factors matter of course, but they are secondary in my opinion.
When and if Indy does a Gorilla complex, will they make a skyscraper for the gorillas and have airplanes flying around it like the Dumbo ride at Disney?
See, I like the central building as a building, and I'd be quite happy with it as an orang house if it had orang enclosures along the lines of Chester, Paignton or Apenheul built into it. But it looks rather like it hasn't...
I don't think the indoor enclosure it quite so bad in practical terms as it looks at first glance, however - it's just very sterile in design.
Sorry, I know it's Indianapolis' money, but I just keep coming back to the cost. I find it hard to imagine that a perfectly good exhibit couldn't have been built for a third of that sum. And since the fund raising for orangs raised $30 million, imagine what $20 million could have done in Borneo or Sumatra....
Sorry, I know it's Indianapolis' money, but I just keep coming back to the cost. I find it hard to imagine that a perfectly good exhibit couldn't have been built for a third of that sum. And since the fund raising for orangs raised $30 million, imagine what $20 million could have done in Borneo or Sumatra....
Apologies if this has already been covered but is it known where the funding came from? I agree with you in principle but private donors are often only interested in their money being spent close to home, I suspect - happy to donate for a very public vanity project in Indianapolis but possibly not an ongoing project in Indonesia. If it's private finance I wouldn't be too sure they'd have had $30m if they weren't spending it all here, sadly.
With 5 people on this thread calling the complex either a church or a cathedral I was not surprised to quickly find 2 journalists with the same thoughts:
Mary Bergin says that the exhibit "looks like a modern church with steeple":
However, I think that the zoo might have other worries on its hands, as with apparently only 4 baby dolphins surviving out of 28 born at the zoo the breeding program has been a total bust. For at least the 3rd time in the past 3 years protestors showed up at the zoo last week to request the phasing out of its dolphin program (9 dolphins) and it will be interesting to see what happens in Baltimore and whether that has a ripple effect in Indianapolis. The National Aquarium in Baltimore has announced that they possibly might phase out their dolphin program (8 dolphins), and Vancouver Aquarium has been in the press on a weekly basis with many folks wishing to see the end of the cetacean program. Could Indianapolis gain an Orangutan Church but then lose a Dolphin Dome?
With 5 people on this thread calling the complex either a church or a cathedral I was not surprised to quickly find 2 journalists with the same thoughts:
Mary Bergin says that the exhibit "looks like a modern church with steeple":
However, I think that the zoo might have other worries on its hands, as with apparently only 4 baby dolphins surviving out of 28 born at the zoo the breeding program has been a total bust. For at least the 3rd time in the past 3 years protestors showed up at the zoo last week to request the phasing out of its dolphin program (9 dolphins) and it will be interesting to see what happens in Baltimore and whether that has a ripple effect in Indianapolis. The National Aquarium in Baltimore has announced that they possibly might phase out their dolphin program (8 dolphins), and Vancouver Aquarium has been in the press on a weekly basis with many folks wishing to see the end of the cetacean program. Could Indianapolis gain an Orangutan Church but then lose a Dolphin Dome?
It should be interesting to see what will happen to Indianapolis's as the logical destination would have been Brookfield Zoo (location + facilities), but Brookfield recently took in Minnesota's dolphins. Add to the fact that two calves that were born a few months ago so Brookfield seems to be full. And no other zoo close by keeps bottle-nosed dolphins. Shedd has also gotten some recent protest by "animal activists" but it does not seem like it is hurting them at all.
Indianapolis Zoo will now cost an adult $26 for a weekend visit, making it one of the most expensive zoos in the United States that is not geared around being a theme park. Yikes! After that steep fee to enter a mid-sized zoo do the red apes then pass around the collection plate at the Orangutan Church?
Indianapolis Zoo will now cost an adult $26 for a weekend visit, making it one of the most expensive zoos in the United States that is not geared around being a theme park. Yikes! After that steep fee to enter a mid-sized zoo do the red apes then pass around the collection plate at the Orangutan Church?
