View of Orangutan island, December 2015

This looks similar to the Island I saw here circa 1990, but it was concrete(or similar) floored. Maybe they have been moved since then.

Pertinax said:

This looks similar to the Island I saw here circa 1990, but it was concrete(or similar) floored. Maybe they have been moved since then.

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This is the same island. From the 70s to 90s the centre of the island was concrete. In the late 90s the concrete was broken up and the area covered with grass.

Zooish said:

This is the same island. From the 70s to 90s the centre of the island was concrete. In the late 90s the concrete was broken up and the area covered with grass.

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Thanks for the info. I also seem to remember there was no indoor viewing, probably unnecessary given the climate.

Seems like a great exhibit. How does the free range orangutan stuff actually works at Singapore? Do they leave from this exhibit and hang freely through the trees, or is there another group that is able to leave while these ones stay only in the island?

@David Matos Mendes If I remember correctly, those on the island cannot access the free range areas, and vice versa.

@David Matos Mendes The free range group is separate from those on the island. Only the females and younger orang utans are allowed to access the free range areas for safety reasons - both for the orang utans' safety as the live trees may not be able to bear a heavy adult male's weight, and also safety of visitors as adult males are considerably more dangerous should they escape the free range areas.