Walk through monkey exhibits

[Jurek7]

New addition is Owl-faced Monkey walkthrough in the Doue Zoo. I saw this species several times and it looked very calm and lethargic. De Brazzas are another stoic species of monkey.

I wonder if black howlers or gibbons can be kept on climbing trees and ropes over visitor heads, if they cannot walk down?

Wroclaw zoo has an extension of exhibit where howlers walk out of their aviary. They cross a rope bridge over visitor heads and run on several old oaks. They are prevented of going to the ground by electric fence. I would think howlers would simply jump down, possibly on a visitor head. But they don't.

 

[Dianamonkey]

Pretty sure pairi daiza has a black howler walk through island now within their squirrel monkey walk through exhibit called Madidi.

 

[MaNuL]

In my opinion, I would never fell safe with old world monkeys. I would just choose for walk-through new world monkeys or prosimians.

I think that the callitrichids, sakis and squirrel monkeys, even being the usual, they are the best. Capuchins could be very dangerous because they are so clever and can feel very confident with humans if they are used to them.
Bigger new world monkey could work, but depending on space and better just females.

We know perfectly that prosimians success in this kind of exhibits. Always with space for animals to feel comfortable.

As you said, always better arboreal primates.

But for me, the most important thing why I don´t like so much the primate walk-through in zoos is because of the diseases that humans can spread to animals.
Also for me is vital to have two keepers continuously in the exhibit to avoid public to feed animals, don´t get close to animals, etc., something that doesn´t happen very often.

 

[JigerofLemuria]

In my opinion, I would never fell safe with old world monkeys. I would just choose for walk-through new world monkeys or prosimians./QUOTE]

Well, then again, I'm not sure just how many zoos have had walk-through with macaques, langurs, baboons, etc. True, some of those primates are potentially very dangerous, but I've read that langurs and geladas could be relatively mild-mannered.

 

[Kudu21]

As alluded to earlier, MonkeyLand in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa consists of a massive, fenced-in forest walk-through enclosure featuring white-handed and buff-cheeked gibbons, a single dusky langur, a single grey langur, vervet monkeys, Geoffroy's spider monkeys, black howler monkeys, tufted capuchins, red-backed bearded sakis, Bolivian squirrel monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, and black-and-white ruffed lemurs.

 

[Jurek7]

Kudu21: are monkeys not supervised, that is no staff inside the exhibit is watching over visitors?

Two thoughts:
MonkeyLand in Plettenberg looks like a completely new way to present primates. I hope that other zoos pick it up and it becomes a standard way to exhibit monkeys. Just like exhibits of bears and great apes changed to large natural exhibits. Or wading birds are by default exhibited in walk-through aviaries.

Regarding commonly reported aggression of male monkeys, I had a silly thought. Would it help to put a mirror near the exhibit for an hour every few days? Monkeys don't recognize themselves in mirror. Male monkeys would release aggression on the fake rival in the mirror, and be calmer. Of course, lots of other outcomes is possible. But at least it would be an interesting enrichment.

 

[Kudu21]

Kudu21: are monkeys not supervised, that is no staff inside the exhibit is watching over visitors?

The facility only offers guided tours, so there is always at least one staff member of volunteer with you at all times.

 

[Jurek7]

Ah, sorry. I thought it is a normal zoo exhibit.