This really is an abysmal exhibit, especially considering the total lack of outdoor access for the apes. Even as an indoor, holding area, there are flaws due to the enormous space occupied by the mock-rock "mountain". Brookfield has had more than 30 years to sort things out but the wait goes on...
@snowleopard This exhibit is for Ramar, an aging 50 year old gorilla. All I have ever seen him do is sleep where he is in the photo. Poor guy will stay here for the rest of his days I imagine.
I'm hoping to visit Chicago for the first time next summer, and am really interested to see Tropic World. Jeremy Cherfas - the Graeme Souness-lookalike who presented the brilliant Zoo 2000 TV series in the mid 1980s - considered it to be one of the great zoo exhibits, but pictures like this really are pretty desperate.
@sooty mangabey Despite this, I consider it the most thrilling zoo exhibit I've come across so far. I've been in water with dolphins, took a safari at Busch Gardens to feed giraffes above our heads, basically lived next to a Sumatran rhino and Tropic World always come out on top of "exhibits I never wanted to leave".
@pachyderm pro oddly enough, he was obtained for the North Carolina Zoo, which has a great gorilla habitat. Even as a retirement home, it's just sad. @Moebelle Yes I am.
@Moebelle Ahh, I see. Once Ramar passes (a thought I don't relish) one simple way they can overhaul this exhibit is to get rid of the concrete floor, planting thick bushes and tropical plants. Letting that sit for a year (maybe temporarily holding a Hornbill or something) and introduce small primates such as the Red Tailed Guenons or maybe Wolf's Guenons instead into the habitat.
I'm not going to defend this exhibit as it admittedly looks pretty damning from the photos, but the rest of the building certainly is better then this. Despite the fake rock, trees and plants, animals (With the great apes being the odd ones out) have massive spaces to roam indoors, and primates can climb around 100 ft in the air. The overhead sloth and tamarin crossing is always a thrill with guests, as I commonly hear things like, "A sloth can move that fast?!" The new slow loris exhibit is nicely put together (Though with some awful viewing that I hope is temporary). Another reason this area is loved by visitors is the fact that their are always babies on exhibit. Right now their are 2 baby gorillas and 3 baby orags (One 10 months old). If the money is their, this building can be transformed into something great. Until that day, the complex will remain spectacular to the untrained eye, but when compared to Zurich, Bronx, Omaha, Leipzig and Burgers, will remain stuck in the past.
