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Great Ape House Update
July 2009
There are some fantastic changes going on at the Great Ape House this summer. Primate interns have been busy at work creating new enrichment items and studying the ways in which they influence the behavior of our ape residents. The most noticeable change has taken place in the outdoor orangutan yard.
Constructing a Cargo Net
Over the course of two long and hot days, summer interns Stephanie Perkins, Rebecca Critser, and Erin Ryan, along with the help of keeper Amanda Bania, worked tirelessly to construct a new “cargo net” made of fire hoses for the orangutans to climb on in their outdoor yard. The net was attached to the first tower of the O Line, the Zoo’s orangutan transport system. In addition to providing structural enrichment and shade, the net also serves as a place to hang food, toys, or puzzle feeders.
Inspecting the Net
Female orangutans Lucy and Batang peered out from their indoor enclosures to carefully observe the hours of climbing, drilling, ratcheting (and laughing!) that went into the assembly of their new plaything. Then finally, on June 24, Lucy was granted the very first access to the yard and the completed cargo net. She immediately walked over to the net, inspected the nuts and bolts and gave it a few good tugs as if to test its strength. She then walked under it and scaled the tower to get an aerial view. Apparently satisfied, she climbed down the new net, stopping to rest for a while before she returned to the ground.
Next, Bonnie and Kyle traveled to the Great Ape House from Think Tank, where they had spent two days quite unaware of the changes that their neighboring yard was undergoing. As the yard came into view, they both began staring with surprise at the new fixture in their yard. Bonnie even stopped in her tracks, dangling over the walkway while she looked it up and down. After minutes of visually assessing the net, Bonnie finally climbed down the first tower, investigated the cargo net's hardware and, like Lucy, yanked on it from all directions, unsure of our craftsmanship. Visitors observed an initially wary Kyle overcome his apprehensions and begin to jump up and somersault down the net.
Later in the day, the remaining orangutans, Batang, Kiko, and Iris, all had the opportunity to climb on and explore their new net. True to form, acrobatic Batang scaled up and down and even dangled from her toes for a moment!
As the summer continues on, the orangutans are using the net to climb, play and rest on (and under) every day. It is rewarding to see how a little bit of effort and innovation can have such a positive effect on the lives of the animals that we care for.
More Projects
Even with one major project under their belt, our summer interns continue to work on a variety of other projects.
- Enrichment interns Erin Ryan and Rebecca Crister are researching and implementing new structural and food-related enrichment items for the apes. Gardens, yard redesign, and new toys are all underway.
- O Line interns Stephanie Perkins and Shelby Swartz are collecting data on how the orangutans use the O Line and their outdoor yards.
- Education intern Crista Johnson is updating the educational signs on display in the ape house and writing a proposal for new, permanent education signs within the ape house about gorilla and orangutan conservation.
The interns brought a variety of primate and animal-related experiences to the Zoo. They have worked or volunteered in sanctuaries, research facilities, and international field sites. All of the interns are enjoying getting to know the apes and helping to improve the apes' lives at the Zoo.
Teamwork
Thanks to Marietta Dindo and Jeremy Borniger, who assisted in the construction of the cargo net, and to Pat and Matt of the Zoo's metal shop for welding all of the metal hardware so the orangutans could safely use the net.
