Why have great apes no acces to trees ?

Primate Reserve - Lar Gibbon/Sumatran Orangutan Exhibit by Fignewton posted 13 Sep 2020 at 1:38 PM

I've been meaning to post this, but I kept forgetting. This is the Sumatran Orangutan and Lar Gibbon habitat at the Philadelphia Zoo. There are ropes attached to the trees that they can climb up.

 

It has that full canopy you often mention as giving the apes a sense of security. Unfortunately just based off my experiences: Otana hasn't been great for the troop from a purely public interest point of view. What was once a large boisterous troop is now a small, subdued and shy one. The best glass viewing area is permanently closed off due to his dislike of the public being so close. I really wish they'd modified the old ape grottoes into a 2nd gorilla exhibit rather than create the mediocre lemur walk-through. Gorillas were always Melbournes star attraction and two troops rotating exhibits would have been revitalised interest.

 

Yes arrival of a new male/change of group dynamic can change everything from a visitor perspective as well. London had a similar problem when new male Kumbuka arrived( he has since died) hitting the windows etc so they had to make more restricted viewing as a result. The presence or lack of juveniles in a group always makes a big difference too.