Disgust At The Triple Grotto Renovation - Our Poor Orangutans

Yes, I'm Disgusted.  Yes, Our Orangutans continue to be given no regard by the San Francisco Zoo management. 

Note that my disgust is not aimed at the Primate Staff.  They have done everything possible to provide the Orangutans with the best life they can, given the situation management has put them in.

I am so outraged, that at this point, I don't think it's in my best interest to publish the post I wrote in full.  So, for now, I will just go with this abbreviated version because I wanted to share the video I made on Tuesday, before the week ends.

I have sat here for days, piecing together my thought notes, and too many weave a narrative that could put a target on me, as it has in the past.  While everything I want to say is truth, and my personal opinion based on that, criticism of management to the degree of the words I have written, quite possibly may not fall under MY right to freedom of speech without retaliation.

In my previous post, I started by saying it was a heavy 48 hrs at the start of this week.  Still sad from the loss of Blue Boy the male Swan, I got to the Zoo and felt physically sick when I approached Triple Grotto.  

I wrote an update about the renovation progress February 21st.  At that point the perimeter walls had been built up with cement, what looks like about three feet.  With no netting in the plan (deemed too expensive), this was necessary to bring it up to code. There was other construction that I couldn't tell what it was for, but that took some form by the end of last week.  Obtrusive looking, and with raised perimeter, it has made entire area look like a cement wall.

When I approached Monday morning this was what almost brought me to tears.

I seriously could not believe what I was seeing.  This huge metal bridge looks like a fallen skyscraper.  Together with the built up cement walls, it looks like a prison yard.  All they need is a watchtower with guards.

THEN by the next morning, this stairway and platform were there.  Good grief this is getting worse with each passing day. 

I made a video.  Feast your eyes on this Fiasco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ykFLabiXrs

The bridge moves in a 180, so even when centered, similar to the illusion this photo gives, it's still disgustingly ugly and ridiculous.

 

The video was unpublished until this post, but I shared it with my Zoo Visitor friends and coincidentally, two long-time Zoo Members made the Prison connection without even knowing I had written the same analogy.

"This is not a natural habitat it’s a cement and metal jail that has no place for animals..."

"The grotto needs to look more natural, not prison like"

Here are some others

"It doesn't even look like an exhibit.  Amoi and Ollie deserve better."

"Looks strange. Don't understand what they are trying to do with that exhibit."

"I've never seen anything like that. It's like a throwback enclosure from the 60,s or 70,s... At first glance I thought it was a swimming pool... Poor Orangs surrounded by concrete... how can they people watch? Visitors are a much needed form of enrichment for apes in captivity."

"All this time and this is the best they can do... Its just not good enough"

"OMG!"

"It's way over engineered for what its supposed to accomplish.  This looks more like it all belongs in the maintenance side rather than what viewers will ever see."

"Wow!  They've made a proper mess of it!"

"Your video is upsetting. Those poor orangs... what on earth is the zoo thinking? That looks horrible!!!! I'd love to hear an explanation."

"What the heck!"

"Why did they actually bring orangutans too the zoo if they don’t really care about their well-being? Hopefully they are still working on the exhibit. But it really doesn’t look good."

and,  "Sure hoping this won’t be the final result!"

As for the final result, I can't imagine anything FOR the Orangutans other than some fire hose and roping.  Regardless of what else they do, what they've already done is here to stay and there's no dressing it up!

All of this is just nonsense.  Disturbing nonsense.

Clearly no regard for the Orangutans went into this design.  So far, I've seen nothing for them.  It was obviously born out of keeping the cost down, and since netting is considered to be costly, everything was done to avoid using netting.  Although I can't see where all this crap and two months of labor could cost that much less. ... The cement walls.  Taking down the walkway from night quarter building to island.  The weird bridge.  All so that Keepers can access the enclosure from the visitor path, since there are now no walkways.  Who knows what else will be added, because right now it is curious how the Orangutans will be kept off the bridge, and since no walkway, how they will access the islands.  

I know there are many Orangutan enclosures in Zoos that are open air, with no netting.  Which would have been fine if the topical space was larger to begin with and perimeter design was such that cement walls of this height were not needed in the year 2021.  

If netting had been used, with or without filling in the moat, there would have been no need for the cement walls, or the awful metal bridge.  It would also be clear that the renovation attention would have been with the needs of the Orangutans in mind.  

This is how it should/could have looked. ... All those trees are not necessary, just showing a larger topical area (even with our existing platforms).  Netted over and it would have looked nice and been a decent home for Amoi and Ollie and their future offspring. ... As well, if funding possible, that would have even provided for multiple options of viewing windows to be added in the future.

Coming to the San Francisco Zoo has been a prison sentence for Ollie and Amoi.  Like all prisoners, they have gotten sometime in the yard, but the majority of each day is spent imprisoned in caged tubes and night quarters.  

As it appears, they are going to go from spending time in that nice new Chimpanzee yard, to this ancient pit, that according to the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) wasn't even fit to house Chimpanzees in current times.

Speaking of AZA, I have to wonder if this renovation is only happening at this time, because the Zoo has their Accreditation Inspection this year.  Can't be for the Orangutans, because their needs haven't been priorty in the two years they have been here.

As well their future with the babies they are recommended by the AZA/SSP (Species Survival Plan) to have, will apparently be to sit on two ancient islands for the rest of their lives.  It's sick.  

This enclosure could have gone from two small areas, each approximately a quarter the size of the Chimpanzee yard, to one large area.  This would have also allowed for an additional space for the Chimps to use, and Orangutans to continue to be rotated into the yard.  Isn't that why there are Skytrails?  Isn't that why it's called the Great Ape Passage?  They sure have seemed to botch that, because as is, I don't see how or why the Chimps could, would or should ever be rotated back into this area.

The Zoo Director knew in 2014 possibly earlier, that she wanted to bring in Orangutans.  There is absolulty no reason they could not come up with funds from 2014-2019 to net over South Grotto before the Orangutans got here, so they had a dedicated space and then they could have continued fundraising for however long it took to do North and Middle Grotto right.  Something I wrote about a year/half ago.  Doing that would have done justice for the Orangutans, for the asthetic of the area and the permanent upgrade to the landscape of the Zoo.  As is, this is a blight with no vision or care put into it, other than to do it as cheap as possible.

For those who aren't familiar with the San Francisco Zoo here is a Satellite Map.  Triple Grotto is positioned in a focal point of the Zoo.  ... The red line shows the position in relation to the entrance.   In addition to the disservice to the Orangutans, to make this area what they have, is just bad.  

I don't see this turning out better by the finish, and to that I say, the Zoo should be embarrassed.  

Frankly, I hope one day there is new management and they raise proper funds, and bulldoze this eyesore down.

Related post

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2021/01/new-will-2021-be-year-that-orangutans.html

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