The Chimps Get New "Furniture"!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2003
Contact:
Krys Bylund
(616)340-0025 cell
kbylund@johnballzoosociety.org
Now under construction, the John Ball Zoo builds new climbing structure for the chimpanzees.
(Grand Rapids, MI) All primates love to climb. In the wild, that climbing urge is instinctual for safety and for food scavenging. As Zoo animals, although they are well fed and safe, chimps (and all captive animals) are provided an environment designed to re-create this natural behavior. So, when John Ball Zoo chimpanzee keepers noticed that the current climbing tree in the outside chimp area was breaking down and rotting, they started work to replace it but with what??? The structure, above all, had to be strong enough to take some pretty heavy use by animals with five times normal human strength. It had to look natural in the setting. It had to work around the existing elements of the exhibit (the heated sand pits, underground water, etc.) and it could not jeopardize animal containment. Calls were made to other institutions and zoo architects for advice on materials and soon, a design and a plan began to take shape.
It was decided that the structure be built using treated telephone poles and can best be described as a bridge. To our eye, it will look like a man-made bridge, now washed out or years abandoned, but to the chimp eye it will look like a jungle ceiling of interwoven branches.
Because of the colder weather and the fact that the outside chimp exhibit is under construction, the chimps may be viewed high above the floor in cargo nets, tree trunks, and tire swings in their day room, but the first warm spring day they will be given access to explore their newly decorated outdoor exhibit. What a surprise they have in store!
MEDIA NOTE:
Interviews available with Allmon Forrester, Operations Manager, regarding design and construction, or Barb Snyder, Animal Curator, regarding the chimpanzees. The "bridge" is now under construction, weather permitting, each week day.
