There were celebrations as Dudley Zoo and Castle staff watched its four critically endangered Bornean orangutans exploring their brand new £500,000 outdoor enclosure for the very first time.
After a year-long build, the large grassed enclosure, adjacent to their indoor den area, was completed last week, with Jazz, Sprout, Djimat and Benji accessing the new space over the last few days.
DZC Curator Richard Brown, said: “It was a fantastic sight to see the orangutans coming into the new enclosure and immediately exploring the climbing apparatus, which showcases the natural behaviours of the arboreal ape species.
“This enclosure is life changing for the orangutans and was quite an emotional moment for staff to witness.”
The new enclosure, which includes a large timber frame, hammocks, shelters, webbing and ropes, has been part funded through public donations, after the zoo launched an appeal during its 80th anniversary with a fundraising Onesie Walk.
Richard added: “The pandemic has forced us to defer some of our development plans across the site, but we were always determined to bring our orangutan enclosure plans to fruition.
“We started work exactly a year ago using local builders and suppliers and we’re all incredibly proud to achieve this long-term goal, especially during these troubled times.”
Work will now turn to redeveloping and combining the orangutan’s original outdoor space and the attraction hopes to officially open the new enclosure with a celebratory day during the summer.
A video of the enclosure can be found here
Related Members
-
News4 tiger cubs born at Longleat 17th May, 2024Four rare Amur tiger cubs have been born at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire to the delight of keepers. Their birth is important for the international…
-
NewsBristol conservation charity pledges to reverse the decline of 97 of the world’s most threatened species 17th May, 2024Conservation and education charity Bristol Zoological Society is pledging to conserve and protect dozens of species on the brink of extinction, which…
-
NewsRewilded Bison are climate heroes - new research 16th May, 2024New research from Yale University shows that 170 rewilded European Bison in Romania’s Tarcu mountains are helping to draw down and store the equivalent…