I am well aware of Perth Zoo's excellent record with maintaining and breeding orangutans, but has the zoo ever come under pressure to modernize and naturalize their ape exhibits?
These metal climbing structures are a relatively recent innovation- I don't like them very much as they are incredibly ugly.
When I visited here circa 1990 I was surprised how basic the Orangutan accomodation is/was. Five smallish high-walled outdoor enclosures, arranged in a shallow 'S' shape, some concrete-floored, some grassed. Very sparsely equipped, just a simple metal climbing frame in each. Dens were all offshow at the back with no public viewing/access. There was a public walkway winding along the front of the exhibits.
I think this was originally accomodation designed for several Ape species but has only housed Orangutans since their numbers grew.
I believe there is additional more recent housing as well now- but not sure what it comprises, while I think the old areas I saw must still be in use. (In the photo you can see more climbing eqipment behind the wall at the back.)
I was kind of surprised by the orangutan enclosures as well. There are several of them grouped together, each more or less identical, being quite small, grassed, with high walls on all sides apart for the front, and with these ugly but (I guess) innovative climbing structures that do allow for a lot of vertical space. The enclosures back onto each other but the orangs can see each other from the structures.
These aren't bad enclosures but they're as close to bad as Perth Zoo gets. They could certainly be replaced with better enclosures though. I did like the education signage in the orang complex, which must be fairly new as it notes that the Sumatran and Bornean orangutans are separate species rather than subspecies.
These aren't bad enclosures but they're as close to bad as Perth Zoo gets. They could certainly be replaced with better enclosures though. I did like the education signage in the orang complex, which must be fairly new as it notes that the Sumatran and Bornean orangutans are separate species rather than subspecies.
I agree with Childonias' comments. They are definitely not natural look, or attractive to the eye, but they do serve the purpose of providing an easily serviced environment that appeases to the orangutan's needs.
