Bachelor gorillas, endangered spider monkeys make debut with Brookfield Zoo Chicago's new primate habitat
The bachelor troop is made up of two silverbacks — Shango, 36, and Barney, 31 — who lived at Zoo Miami before coming to Brookfield Zoo Chicago earlier this year.
The James & Elizabeth Bramsen Tropical Forests habitat, the largest project in the zoo's history thus far, is built along a trail intended to give visitors the feeling of finding the animals in their natural habitats. It features four areas, one for spider monkeys, two gorilla forests (one for a family troop and another for the bachelor troop) and one for Bornean orangutans, who are not yet visible to the public as they are still settling in, said Kim Skelton, director of primate care and conservation.
Construction began in March 2023 on the $66 million redesign, which is an expansion of the old Tropic World building from the 1980s. At three acres, the Bramsen Tropical Forests habitat is about 125,000 square feet and is one of the largest outdoor primate habitats of any accredited zoo in the U.S., Brookfield officials said.
Dozens of visitors stood outside the exhibit's entrance Friday morning, waiting to be among the first to visit the animals.
Chicagoans Joyce Jablonski, 74, and husband Gerry, 72, the first ones to enter the exhibit, were most excited to see the spider monkeys. They had been anticipating the habitat opening for a while, and have been supporters of the zoo for about 45 years, Joyce Jablonski said.
'When we had kids, we decided, well, this is our favorite place to go,' she said. 'We've come here since we (ourselves) were kids, so we brought them, they enjoyed it, and we continue to support the zoo.'
Brookfield Zoo Chicago announces $66 million Tropical Forests for primates as part of major redesignThe floor of the trail is imprinted with the footprints of the pygmy hippo and the duiker, a type of antelope. Bamboo poles and vines were installed in the habitat to encourage the natural behaviors of the animals and to make them feel like they're in their natural environment.
'Watching the animals come out into the spaces for the first time and explore the yards, and to see them just comfortable (and) lying on their backs in the sunshine has been wonderful,' said Mike Adkesson, president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago.
To reach maturity in the wild, male gorillas typically go out on their own or buddy up with another male gorilla, and the zoo had not been able to provide that for them, Adkesson said. The new habitat allows the two bachelors to socialize with each other first, and then they will move into the family troop of six gorillas.
'It's just really a neat way for us to let our guests see another side of gorillas and to really experience those silverbacks up close,' Adkesson said.
The new habitat has short tunnels that allow guests to get an even closer view of the animals. The habitat also includes glass viewing panels for guests to interact with the animals up close and other interactive stations, including one where visitors can compare the size of their hands and feet to those of primates.
One of the goals of the project was to incorporate more advanced technology to care for the animals while also maintaining environmental sustainability. New automated feeders dispense food at regular intervals throughout the day, and an energy-efficient lighting system minimizes energy consumption.
Gorillas have their own indoor conservation centers. One is two stories and is visible to the public, and another is a private area where the zoo staff can interact with them and other monkey species. Also on the second floor is an area for the King Conservation Leadership Academy, a program for students who are interested in learning about conservation. Students volunteered at the opening by answering visitors' questions and handing out swag giveaways.
Brookfield Zoo Chicago said the project's economic impact includes $69 million generated in labor income, $182 million contributed in economic activity and $24 million generated in combined federal, state and county tax revenues. 'The construction process over the last two and a half years has generated around a thousand jobs,' Adkesson said.
Oak Park resident Laurie Conley, 42, and her children went to the new habitat Friday. Her daughter Alice, 12, has been running a lemonade stand to raise money for the gorilla habitat since she was 9. This year Alice earned $509 from her lemonade stand, the most she's made so far.
'I just felt sad that some of the gorillas had never seen the sun, the grass, the breeze before in their life,' Alice said. 'I felt like it would be amazing if they got to see that.'
The Tropical Forests habitat is the first phase of a transformation that will continue into the zoo's centennial in 2034. Adkesson said the next thing he's focused on is the northwest corner of the zoo.
The scope of that next project will be more than 10 times the size of this one, with Adkesson expecting a 35-acre footprint.
'We're looking to reimagine into these large immersive open habitats for multiple different species of animals,' Adkesson said. 'So this one kind of sets in motion a vision for what we want that to look like in terms of these big, open habitats, a lot of landscape design that will start to replicate that natural environment feeling as it comes into maturity.'
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