orangutan exhibit

Very interesting presentation at AZA conference by Rob Shumaker​, Vice President of Conservation & Life Sciences at Indianapolis and the man behind SNZP's O-Line.
The inspiration for the building is the traditional spirit house.

His presentation on the orang's use of the facility was very encouraging.
I suspect they simply decided not to spend money on landscape.

I just found this thread thanks to the "What is the best orangutan exhibit?" thread, and my first thoughts were: Why is that church surrounded by so many high-voltage power lines and a roller coaster?

I might not have guessed that it was an orang exhibit if I hadn't been told.

From a brief look at the interior, it looks like a cross between a lab and a high school gymnasium.

I live here in Indianapolis, so I've seen the International Orangutan Center many times. For the life of me, I have never ever seen a "church" in that building. For me, churches are big, stone cathedral-looking things, like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Thanks to ZooPlantman for posting the pictures of the traditional Malaysian spirit houses, as that is really what the IOC looks like -- though a much bigger and more modern version of them.

Whatever folks want to think about the IOC, my on-the-ground testimonial of it would be that it has been a real success commercially. Attendance at the Indy Zoo is way up since the IOC opened, the skyway ride around it is immensely popular despite its $3 fee, and most of the people I've talked to seem to really like the new exhibit.

It wasn't there when I was.

They certainly could have made it look much more like a real spirit house, such as the ones posted above, than they did (or did not, as it looks nothing like those). We have a very good example of something similar done quite well in the longhouse at the new Sumatran tiger exhibit at San Diego Safari Park.

The fact that this is a "commercial success" only tells me that the residents of Indianapolis have poor taste.

So.. I probably never will be able go to United States because I live on the other side of the world, but I was lucky enough to be able to visit Singapore and visit their zoo. Their Orangutan exhibits are no doubt one of the best for them. Not only its setting is very natural, it stimulates their need because they can literally be on top of you.
So when I looked at Indianapolis and it looks pretty darn cool. But when I learn its for the Orangutans, I thought "It looks so barren". Because there was pretty much no vegetation or trees, and it just looks too industrial. I guess its not fair to compare tropical country to a temperate region, but I can't help but to look at it and thought "The one in Singapore is far superior"