Upon my visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo in 2008 I thought that the fairly new great ape complex was the one (and perhaps only) truly fantastic set of exhibits at the zoo. The three indoor areas for the chimps and gorillas are particularly well-designed, allowing for plenty of sunlight to be filtered through, and containing a lot of height for the apes to climb far above the heads of visitors.
This is from the zoo's website:
The state-of-the-art Regenstein Center for Africa Apes is unlike any other in the country – maybe the world. Twenty-nine-thousand square feet of living space, indoors and out. Bamboo stands real and simulated. Dozens of trees and 5,000 feet of artificial vines for climbing. Skylights. Termite mounds for chimpanzee “fishing.” A waterfall. A moat. Heated logs. Fresh air. Sunshine.
The $26 million center is the most expensive building ever constructed at the zoo. Its primary features are three spacious habitats: the Kovler Gorilla Bamboo Forest, the Strangler Fig Forest (which accommodates either chimpanzees or gorillas) and the Dry Riverbed Valley (which also accommodates chimpanzees or gorillas). The indoor exhibits are immediately adjacent to the outdoor exhibits so that they appear to be one.
It's the only "WOW" exhibit at the zoo. But, it focuses on what Lincoln Park Zoo does best, IMO (and this is not to detract from the excellent care the other animals also receive): gorilla conservation. Dr. Lester Fisher, the previous director, was the first to put gorillas into social groupings and he started the western lowland gorilla SSP. There have been 47 gorilla births since 1970. 45 of those births took place at the Lester Fisher Great Ape House, the building that was replaced by the Regenstein Center for African Apes.
@zoogeek: To have 47 gorilla births in just under 40 years is nothing short of amazing, and it just goes to show what can occur with a large breeding group of apes. I think that the Regenstein Center for African Apes is wonderful, and I only wish that the rest of the Lincoln Park Zoo was as impressive.
They did several behavioral studies to see how the old space was used by keepers, vets, visitors, gorillas and chimps in preparation for the new space. One of the interesting things they found was that the gorillas liked corners. So, there's corners in their new exhibit. The substrate is 2 1/2' of pine bark mulch and the glass is an 1 1/2" thick.
I don't think there's many zoos worldwide who have as many gorilla births as LPZ. Howlett's may have more.
For the US (as far as I know) the top three are Cincy with 49, Lincoln Park with 47, and Columbus with 30. Other competitors for high birth numbers would be San Diego, Bronx, Atlanta, Seattle and Omaha. I'll double check and edit if I find any more specifics.
