Gorilla Exhibit

Aug. 7th, 2012.

Wow that is really tiny they should just net it over and make it a 2nd orangutan yard.

I agree! This gorilla exhibit was legendary almost 30 years ago but it pains me to declare it terrible in the modern zoological world.

An excerpt from my 2012 review:

This enclosure created quite a stir back in 1985 when it opened because visitors walk through a glass tunnel directly down the middle of the gorilla outdoor yard. I saw a sign for a 44 year-old female ape named Tiffany but looking around it appears that she is the only one in what I’ve been told is the smallest outdoor gorilla exhibit in all of North America. The plain, fairly barren grassy yards on either side of the tunnel are outrageously outdated and with a few renovations I can imagine mandrills in the exhibit. This innovative enclosure is well past its due date and the sooner the gorilla(s) are gone the better.

I don't think the single female is actually exhibited on this side, as I have only seen her on the other side of the tunnel, a slightly larger and better planted exhibit. They would be smart to destroy the tunnel to give room to the gorilla.

I am nearing the end of the lengthy book by the zoo's longtime (now retired) director. The book makes all these exhibits (and the zoo itself) sound so groundbreaking. So I had to take my first look at their gallery and what a disappointment! The reality is nowhere near the hype that he creates in the book.

The zoo will stop exhibiting gorillas in the future as the zoo says they require to large and expensive an exhibit. This area of the zoo is slated for the asian section. This area will be home to a snow leopard exhibit and a small asian primate exhibit.

This is about 1/3 of the total exhibit. Currently, it holds one elderly, female gorilla who has been paired with other gorillas unsuccessfully. Recently, they installed a stair system so that she can climb over the tunnel again (she has an arthritic back which stopped her previously). It has been agreed upon by the zoo and gorilla professionals that she is better off here than anywhere else at this time.

It is smaller than Birmingham? Wow, it seems so many zoos are planning to phase out Gorilla soon. Where will these animals go? I imagine it is hard to transition older Gorilla into new social groups.

@snowleopard This is now home to a pair of geriatric Sun Bears from the Henry Doorly Zoo. From the Bear Canyon to this exhibit is a MAJOR upgrade. Topeka Zoo has added new branches and such, and I'm curious to see what further renovations the Zoo has made.