INDIANAPOLIS — A new chimpanzee experience is coming to the Indianapolis Zoo, and it’s one that zookeepers say will be interactive for both guests and primates.
“We are building something absolutely extraordinary,” Dr. Rob Shumaker, Indianapolis Zoo President & CEO, said. “The best word I think to describe this complex is that it’s sprawling across the zoo.”
Coming soon to the zoo is a roughly 9,600 square foot international chimpanzee complex. There will also be a quarter-mile overhead trail system, allowing the chimps to have plenty of indoor and outdoor spaces.
Zoo officials say the trail system will allow the chimpanzees to come and go freely from several different spots.
“The chimps can decide where they go, what they do and who they do it with. You’re going to have to wander and find the chimpanzees you’d like to see, or they will come and find you,” Shumaker said.
20 chimpanzees will be housed at the zoo. Six primates are already being acclimated to the facility and more are on their way. It will be one of the largest communities of chimpanzees in the United States.
And just like humans, the chimps will get regular computer time to solve puzzles and get food rewards.
“For some people, it can be a little unnerving but it’s a very different experience. I look forward to many people having that when they’re here,” Shumaker said.
Zoo officials hope the exhibit will spark interest in the conservation of chimpanzees in the wild.
The new exhibit is set to open Memorial Day weekend.
