Gorilla 360 viewing closed, Tropic World - Nov. 2021

That is definitely a nice addition to the exhibit

How is Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Behavior and Physiology Impacted by 360 Degree Visitor Viewing Access?

@Grant I’m going to assume it has something to do with the lack of privacy in the exhibit, however I can’t be certain.

@ZooNerd1234 Absolutely. Any zoo animal, but especially great apes benefit from some privacy, and with 360 viewing and visitors looking down onto them its nice that the zoo has made a small step in improving the habitat even if not from the visitors' POV.

When the time comes for some changes to Tropic World, it would be interesting to see if the zoo tries to restructure this exhibit to completely eliminate the 360 viewing. It's a necessary change that will enhance the welfare of the apes, but unless a more permanent solution is done it will be a bit of an eyesore. Why not complete remove the now blocked off path and expand the indoor habitat out that way, while also redoing the visitor view to make it less awkward.

@pachyderm pro I do like the idea of an "upper" viewing path, however maybe it could be themed as an "observation blind" and obscured with bamboo? I believe that if Tropic World had the same attention to detail/realism as buildings like the Kopje/The Living Coast (in its Peruvian prime and not its bastardized current iteration), along with perks like natural substrate/proper drainage and ESPECIALLY outdoor habitats, it would truly be one of the finest primate houses in the zoological world. Hell, as it stands, the addition of outdoor habitats ALONE would make this a top tier primate house. (When @geomorph is right, they're REALLY right.)