News and Media Releases
01 Oct 2008
Luxury Home for Chimps
Adelaide Advertiser - Page 29 - Clare Peddie
Chimpanzees will be at home at Monarto Zoo in an expansive enclosure that will soon be opened to the public for a sneak preview.
At 3500sqm, the chimp habitat will be the largest in Australia. It even has evaporative airconditioning and a solar hot-water system.
Zoos SA senior curator Peter Clarke said the enclosure was a "bit of an experiment".
The $1.6 million facility has the best features of chimp enclosures from around the world, including a deep layer of litter in the night quarters rather than concrete.
World-famous chimp researcher Dr Jane Goodall would open the exhibit this weekend, Mr Clarke said.
Two male chimps will move in before Christmas. Others will follow next year - two males from a New Zealand zoo and four females from the Netherlands.
The "Ape-it-Up" family day is on this Sunday. Gates open at 9.30am.
Visitors can search the new chimp habitat for a "lucky rock", with a chance to win a family trip to Kangaroo Island.