A brand new exhibit has opened at Chester Zoo, UK, dedicated to some of the world’s most threatened primate species.
The exhibit, which is located in the attraction’s newly-opened £40m (US$53m, €57m) Indonesian-themed Islands zone, is home to seven critically endangered Sumatran orangutans and three silvery gibbons.
The 3,600sq m (38,750sq ft) is one of the largest Sumatran orangutan enclosures in the world, and is equipped with state-of-the-art breeding facilities. It boasts an immersive landscape for the animals, decked out with stimulating activities such as 15m-tall (49ft) climbing poles and ropes, rockwork, webbing and sway poles that help the animals recreate the natural behaviour of swaying between trees. It’s designed to be a “playground” for the primates.
Islands has been a huge investment for Chester Zoo. It was designed by German architects Dan Pearlman to reflect the environment of the Indonesian archipelago where many of the zone’s animals originate. The experience has been designed to promote Chester Zoo’s huge conservation efforts at home and abroad, and the primates in the new exhibit are just two examples of that work.
“Without vital conservation efforts, Sumatran orangutans and silvery gibbons could both become extinct in the near future. We just hope that this fantastic new environment at the zoo will encourage visitors to learn more about these stunning species and the long- term conservation efforts we’re involved with to try and protect them for the future,” said Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals at Chester Zoo.
Fewer than 6,500 Sumatran orangutans and 4,500 silvery gibbons are believed to remain in the wild and the ongoing destruction of their natural habitats is pushing them closer to extinction.
“The zoo is working with a number of conservation partners to restore and protect habitats across Sumatra and Borneo and in the UK where we’re encouraging businesses to source palm oil products from sustainable retailers in their supply chain," Rowlands said.
"Habitat destruction, to make way for palm oil plantations is something that’s really impacting on animals like orangutans and gibbons but the work we’re doing is helping to shape a brighter future for them, and a range of other threatened species in the region of Southeast Asia.”
