Some of the chimpanzees in their new home at Sydney's Taronga Zoo
How many of you would love to live in a $7 million home? Sounds excessive, but captive chimpanzees at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo are proud tenants of the state-of-the-art interactive complex.
It’s been designed to allow members of the public to get up close and personal with our nearest cousins. The new home includes a parallel play area where human youngsters can hang on one side of a rope, with the chimps on the other, and a tunnel children can crawl in and be face to face with their distant relatives. People are also able to stand on a viewing deck to see into the enclosure.
A chimpanzee cuddles her infant in the new habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney
Six families now make up the 17 animals at the chimpanzee sanctuary. The eldest is 59-year-old Lulu and the youngest Sule, who was born in 2008. So what do the chimps get for that much cash? Well there’s 12-metre high towers, a network of climbing ropes and a 180kg hammock made out of fire hoses.
- Chimpanzees share a coconut in the new habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney
Enrichment, or things to play with, are vital to keep primates like apes “happy”. But in my experience one thing that chimps love more than anything else is food!
whogivesamonkeys 
joan wilson manchester
October 2, 2011
thanks for this heart warming story, great idea interactions for children the sooner they learn to love and appreciate an animal the more they will hopefully want to protect. Lets hope if it doesnt interfere with the chimps life it can catch on at other sanctuarys. One of the best in the world has got to be Monkey World, a wounderful example of primate care.
Jez
October 2, 2011
Perhaps you need to check this out in person!
urbanprimate
October 3, 2011
Now wouldn’t that be a nice! I’ll add it to my wish-list and report back if I manage to tick it off.
A
Tim Brunt
October 3, 2011
I’d love to go there. not too sure which side of the glass i belong on though.. :oS