Indianapolis Zoo had record-breaking attendance in 2014 (1.25 million) thanks to the Red Ape Church but the ride skywards to see the orangs does not run much of the time. It has been closed on numerous occasions in the year since it made its debut and even when running there has often been 45-minute waits. That fact doesn't seem to be hurting the crowds at a zoo that is very expensive to visit...particularly with the increased pricing on weekends that has been incorporated into the ticket prices.
Now that some time has passed, what is the opinion of the IOC amongst the general public and the american zoonerd community respectively? (I'm making the extremely tenuous assumption that either body has a consensus)
Allen Nyhuis, author of America's Best Zoos (2008), and I are good friends and we email each other once a week. He lives in Indianapolis, visits the zoo once a month, and he has told me many times that the ride that takes visitors upwards and past the orangs is tremendously popular, often with 45-minute line-ups at all times of the day. Even with steep price increases the zoo set an all-time record for attendance and the IOC has obviously played its part. The bad news is that the 8-minute Skyline ride has frequently been closed for maintenance and it does not run during the winter months. Also, the zoo has different prices that continually change depending on how busy the facility is and the establishment is very expensive in comparison to other major U.S. zoos. I personally dislike the IOC as I'd rather see the orangs in a more natural environment (rather than a church ) but if you like odd architecture in a zoo setting than the IOC certainly fits the bill in that regard. At the end of the day the orangs have spent a lot of time inside during the first year but supposedly when a red ape is out on the "O-Line" it is a rather spectacular experience.
Thanks snowleopard. I don't mind so much about the church aspect, but I do remember thinking when I saw the plans: 'where is the outdoors?'. O-Lines seem like a great idea, and I'd love to see a UK zoo build one, but they surely can't be a substitute for a complex outdoor enclosure.
The exhibit is one of the nominees for best Exhibit Award at AZA this year. There are other very strong contenders, but it will give us an idea of how the zoo professionals (at least on the judging committee) evaluate this.
