I'm trying to remember if I've ever seen a better orangutan exhibit, but truthfully the Seattle zoo in winter isn't half as overgrown with plant life. This section of the zoo is outstanding, as there are awesome habitats for orangutans, siamangs and lion-tailed macaques, and really good enclosures for malayan tapirs and elephants. In all honesty the entire zoo is packed with above average exhibits.
Many of the climbing structures in this exhibit are either real trees or dead ones that have been propped up to hold the weight of the great apes. There are zero fake poles or beams whatsoever, and the zoo has strived to make this award-winning section of the zoo as naturalistic as possible.
I would like to see what this exhibit looked like if Seattle was in a warmer climate and the orang-utans didn't need to be locked up for some of the year.
The designers of the new Colchester "orangutan forest" should take a flight to Seattle in order to see what a truly naturalistic great ape exhibit looks like. Is that green stuff actually grass?
Absolutely amazing - it is such a joy to see the pictures of this outdoor enclosure at Woodland Park. I checked up on the pictures of the indoor enclosures and they look fine, to!
@GraysonDP There are times when some species are very difficult to locate (Rocky Mountain Goat, Western Lowland Gorilla in the larger exhibit) but for the most part the animals are not hard to find at all.
