Tatty living dangerously, September 2019

The orangs were busy picking up beech mast from the ground and the water today. Six year old Tatty displayed a terrifyingly novel way of reaching for those furthest away from the bridge She did look a bit surprised when she tried pulling herself up again. We have often wondered what you'd do if an orang fell into the moat. By the time you'd found a keeper it would probably be too late.

Is there anything to suggest underwater ropes around the bridges? That's relatively common where zoos perceive there is a drowning risk.

For myself, I have always felt that if it wouldn't put me into contact with an adult male, I would probably have to go into the water if I saw an ape fall in. I once saw a crab-eating macaque plunge into a moat off a wobbly branch in Nanjing, and had a heart-stopping few seconds before I realised it was all a game...

I've never noticed any ropes. They used to keep a little boat between the orang and gorilla moats. I hope adrenaline would enable me to do something useful.

Very dangerous...I have read/heard about too many drownings to be complacent about a sight like this. With such a large area of water as a moated barrier, I rather doubt it is safely netted underwater in all the areas they can reach, though perhaps I am wrong on that.

I'm pretty sure there's no netting. From photos taken when the moats were being butyl-lined, they are a rounded, broad U shape with the deepest part in the middle being 5-6 ft. This is where Tatty is on the bridge. I guess you could scramble down the bank, wade/swim to reach her, turn her upside down and shake her. I doubt whether Mali would give you time to do CPR.