Asian greenhouse, 2020-01-11

During my most recent visit to Planckendael I visited the Asian greenhouse in its current form for almost certainly the last time, as the greenhouse has since been closed to the public. At the time of my visit a lot of the animal previously housed there had already been removed.

As discussed in the Planckendael news topic the next major project in Planckendael is the construction of a new orangutan house that will also house the Northern white-cheeked gibbons, Asian small-clawed otters and Black macaques currently in the collection and newly acquired binturongs.

The orangutan house will be constructed in front of the existing Asian greenhouse, in the area where the gibbon and macaque islands and surrounding areas are now located, and the project that will be Borneo-themed will also feature five outdoor islands, according to the architect's draft that was recently published with the environmental permit application for the project.

The existing Asian greenhouse will, according to current information, be connected to the orangutan house. However with regards to the future purpose and content of the Asian greenhouse things remain very vague so far. The architect's draft only mentioned the connection to the orangutan house and future refurbishment.

The emptying of the greenhouse and its closure might well be necessary for the orangutan house construction and associated changes that also include parts of the existing greenhouse, but to me it would seem strange to leave it empty and closed for a long time without proceeding with the redevelopment alongside the orangutan house construction and as part of the same project to improve the Asian area.

Personally I really hope that any future developments of the Asian greenhouse will be mostly or entirely animal-focused, and that the unofficial rumors about an indoor playground and/or restaurant area do not come to fruition. I also hope that there will still be some space for small mammals and birds in the future purpose of the Asian greenhouse and/or within the orangutan house. Small mammals and birds would in my opinion definitely complement the apes and monkeys very nicely.