Expedition Madagascar - Red Ruffed Lemur/Common Brown Lemur Exhibit

July 6th, 2012.

One could probably begin a healthy debate over the pros and cons of keeping intelligent primates indoors for their entire lives...or we could all just admire the mural and fake trees.

An excerpt from my 2012 review:

Expedition Madagascar – This exhibit complex opened in 2010 at the cost of about $10 million, and it features a 300 foot long building with 14 exhibits and then a series of outdoor netted habitats. Seeing an aye-aye moving in is well-designed indoor exhibit was exhilarating, but the much vaunted outdoor walk-through lemur exhibit was hugely disappointing as there was only a couple of red ruffed lemurs and plenty of empty space amongst the fake trees. The outdoor fossa exhibit is very nice, as is the netted black-and-white ruffed lemur exhibit, and yet the ring-tailed lemur island features two incredibly fake-looking baobab trees. Indoors the exhibits are nicely furnished but I couldn’t help feeling a bit dismayed to see so many lemurs with zero access to an outdoor area and I believe that in ten years’ time this building might well be outdated for the primates. The collection of Madagascan animals is perhaps not equaled by any other American zoo, but the exhibitry is hit-and-miss.

Here is the total species list for Expedition Madagascar: Red ruffed lemur (two exhibits), black-and-white ruffed lemur, black lemur, ring-tailed lemur (two exhibits), common brown lemur, collared brown lemur, mongoose lemur, aye-aye, fossa, giant jumping rat (two exhibits), straw-coloured fruit bat, Madagascar tree boa, Madagascar ground boa, Malagasy hognose snake, powder blue reed frog, tomato frog (two exhibits), mantella frogs (of various species), panther chameleon, Cheke’s day gecko, velvet gecko, standing day gecko, spiny-tailed iguana, plated lizard, flat-tailed tortoise, radiated tortoise, Madagascar big-headed turtle, northern crested coua, lesser vasa parrot, Madagascar teal, Madagascar ibis, cattle egret and Madagascar button quail.

I think that this already looks outdated for primates. I feel like it's become my mantra on here but, if you took away all of the decoration, this is nothing more than a glass box full of concrete structures with two small plants in it. Not suitable for intelligent primates at all.

When the history of late 20th century/early 21st century zoo design is written I predict that the Lee Simmons era exhibits at Omaha will be noted for excellent stagecraft and horrendous animal care, and held up as an example of what not to do.

I considered that but thought it best to give the exhibit the benefit of doubt.