Columbus Zoo opens new indoor orangutan viewing habitat
POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has announced the opening of a new indoor orangutan viewing habitat.
The 1,096 square foot Ken Cooke and Jerry Borin Orangutan Indoor Habitat, which is located adjacent to the outdoor habitat, will allow zoo visitors to observe orangutans, Sulango, Dumplin, and Khali, throughout the year.
"The primary goal of this project was to provide a great winter season home for the orangutans while also providing Zoo guests with the opportunity to visit and see them exploring this space during the colder months," the zoo stated in a release.
The indoor habitat provides bedroom space for the orangutans, as well as direct access to their outdoor habitat, and a complex indoor habitat with public viewing. It also has space for staff to allow them to care for the orangutans.
“We are incredibly excited to share this new habitat with the community. The construction and design of this space was truly a labor of love for the Zoo, and so many people from various departments have contributed to making it a successful space for our orangutans. Orangutans are highly intelligent, and they are extremely curious animals with excellent problem-solving abilities. This habitat provides us with many opportunities to engage the orangutans mentally while mimicking their natural behaviors,” said Audra Meinelt, curator of the Columbus Zoo’s Congo Expedition region and orangutans.
But the zoo says the new dayroom is the real gem of the exhibit:
The dayroom is a two-story open space providing the orangutans with access to vertical spaces ranging from 10-25 feet at the peak of the ceiling. It features groupings of “bamboo” (tall painted metal poles) that will have some flexibility and vary in diameter from 2.5-5.5 inches. The poles also vary in height, from 20-25 feet tall, providing the orangutans with full use of the dayroom's upper space. Additional “vines” (painted firehose) will be attached to the bamboo poles and other features in the building to create a complex network of places the orangutans can choose to navigate.
The dayroom has also been carefully designed with enrichment in mind for these highly intelligent apes. Along the east wall of the room, at the second-story level, there is a ledge that provides a spot where the orangutans can interact with enrichment items the staff provides. Another enrichment element is a system of pulleys so staff can put enrichment items at varying heights and encourage arboreal movement.
The building's west wall consists of multiple windows, adding lots of daylight to the habitat and great views for the orangutans to watch people who are on the boat ride or crossing the bridge. Several columns located along the room floor will also provide enrichment opportunities such as puzzle feeders, audio enrichment with push buttons, and water sources. Skylights add even more daylight to the indoor space, allowing in as much natural light as possible.
In the public viewing space and at the outdoor habitat and viewing shelter, the Zoo team designed new graphics and videos to update guests about conservation issues related to the orangutans. The signage includes actions that guests can take to help and collaborate with conservation partners working to protect orangutans in their native range.
Release from the Columbus Zoo and Aqarium
For more information visit ColumbusZoo.org