Bornean orangutans, January 2022

Wousan and Natalia trying out their new climbing frame.

Is there enough height or enough for them to swing on here?

I feel like the version in the link below was better (I don't know the reason/s why they've changed the small island again).

Orangutan Island, May 2018 - ZooChat

High enough for swinging? Not really. Wousan and Natalia just climbed over it, exploring. Natty looked as though she was enjoying it though and started to strip bark from the poles. Maybe they'll build something more suitable for swinging on the large island. I gather the poles were donated so possibly they decided that this was better than nothing, and it's easily viewable by visitors. I think the old version rotted away - the peril of wood on often waterlogged ground.

@Gigit. I was going to ask what happened to the taller poles. And before that there were tall natural-growing Alder trees ? For Orangutans this low-level frame seems the equivalent of a 'safe' climbing frame for very little children in a playground. Sadly each version seems more simplistic/smaller than the last. Cost/labour issues no doubt. But better than nothing I hasten to add...

@Pertinax Nakal sealed the fate of the trees on this island when he stripped the bark from them during his tenure. If Natty continues to use it as she did yesterday she will no doubt impress some visitors, but I do hope that one of PZ's exciting new plans is for something on the large island that will really get them up and moving.

@Gigit Yes indeed. Really this is just a basic climbing frame you might see in a standard cage somewhere. They do really need to upgrade to decent high climbing facilities again. Could the remains of the trees on the big island still be used as a basis for that?

@Pertinax I couldn't say for sure. Tatty used to be able to rock some of them and they don't look very sturdy. There's the problem of water-logged roots too, I imagine.