Join our zoo community
Giant Panda

Newly Renovated Orangutan Forest

The exhibit is 1300 square metres and features 11 artificial trees 7-12m in height. June 2016. Photos taken by a friend and posted with permission.

Newly Renovated Orangutan Forest
Giant Panda, 29 Jun 2016
    • Giant Panda
      The exhibit is 1300 square metres and features 11 artificial trees 7-12m in height.

      June 2016.

      Photos taken by a friend and posted with permission.
    • Loxodonta Cobra
      Not really a "forest" with so much grass that looks lawn-mowed.
    • Paradoxurus
      Indeed it looks like an area that has been de-forested. I appreciate the practical difficulties of recreating something more accurate so perhaps the zoo is trying to convey the devastating effects of forest-clearance on orangutan habitat? It is certainly a is a poor reflection of genuine orangutan habitat.

      I remember getting into quite a heated argument some years back with a senior keeper at Dublin Zoo. His point of view was that orangutans feel "oppressed" (his word) with (cage) bars above them. My argument was that cage bars were no more oppressive than a forest canopy and actually provide more opportunity for natural behaviours than an open-topped enclosure. I see this mentality prevails at Dublin Zoo ten years on...
    • Pertinax
      Most zoos shy away from roofed cages for Orangutans nowadays when they build new enclosures. Its very true they usually get far less climbing opportunity as a result, though aethsetically it is presumably more pleasing as an exhibit-done for the appearance but not necessarily so functional for the Orangs though.

      In Chester's new Islands exhibit for their Sumatran orangs, there are two huge open outdoor enclosures, and one enormous 'cage' one- I definately prefer the latter.

      A question about Dublin's new exhibit- from the description'renovated' does it mean its on the site of the previous enclosure, or a completely new area? And is the indoor house new, or just 'renovated' also..?
    • Giant Panda
      Disclaimer: I haven't yet seen the exhibit in person.

      A quote from their website:

      "Orangutan Forest was inspired by the natural environment of the Bornean orangutans, the tropical rainforests of Borneo."

      It's a joke really to suggest this approximates orangutan habitat. The much-vaunted gorilla "bai" may be too open, but at least it's attractive. This exhibit is also too open and the fake trees are hardly aesthetic. Orangutans are a major design challenge, of course, but the classic poll-and-rope approach would have provided more climbing opportunities and probably looked better, too.

      It's on the same site, with the original island linked to additional outdoor space. The building also looks new, although I'm not certain.
    • Zooplantman
      What did this cost?
    • Giant Panda
      €3 million.
    • Zooplantman
      That is very cheap for so many structurally strong artificial trees.
    • Nikola Chavkosk
      I would make excelent whole zoo with 3 milions of euros. Why it is so expensive, or the prices are overestimated? Actually I am planing to start own zoo with just 15,000 euros.
    • Gigit
      The interior shown in one of the photos looks largely unchanged - I remember that skylight. Hopefully something has been done to the house as it was pretty basic and all the reflections made viewing the orangs very difficult. I'll be seeing for myself in a few weeks.
    There are no comments to display.
  • Category:
    Dublin Zoo
    Uploaded By:
    Giant Panda
    Date:
    29 Jun 2016
    View Count:
    2,413
    Comment Count:
    11

    EXIF Data

    File Size:
    176.1 KB
    Mime Type:
    image/jpeg
    Width:
    960px
    Height:
    719px
     

    Note: EXIF data is stored on valid file types when a photo is uploaded. The photo may have been manipulated since upload (rotated, flipped, cropped etc).