With the Orangtans getting to go into the yard yesterday, I'm hoping to take a break from their situation, til after the holidays. Hopefully there will be some news on something happening in Triple Grotto. Maybe their Christmas wish will come true!
I started this post as a synopsis for anyone just catching this story recently. So that will follow. I did want to share something that happened yesterday morning, as I found it alittle surprising and outrageous in the grand scheme of things. I've written before, that after I write a post, considering what's happened in the past, I always expect that I could be denied entry at any time, based on someone not liking something I've written, but I don't think I've ever noticed someone who has talked to me consistently in the past to just stop. So, when I crossed paths with someone who I've talked to for many years, and they just ignored me, when I said, Good Morning, this was my immediate thought.
How am I the Villain in all of this? Or in any other issue I post about? The Orangutans are being kept in a caged tube for eight months, but I'm the Villain? If this wasn't a serious situation, it might be comical. ... A friend said, "Truth-tellers are never appreciated." ... Ain't that the truth!
All I can say is, these are the facts as I know them. If people can't handle the truth being talked about, or don't believe things such as the Orangutan situation are a problem, then they need to do some soul searching.
The Orangutan Situation:
The Orangutans at the San Francisco Zoo have no exclusive enclosure. Their living space consists of their bedrooms and one and a half, Skytrails. The Skytrail is not a Habitat, it is meant as a passage between areas. This is not appropriate housing for this species. As of last week, the San Francisco Zoo Director allegedly had no immediate or current plans to provide them with a proper living space.
In 2015, Director Peterson wanted to kick out our three Senior Chimpanzees who had lived at the Zoo for almost fifty years. Public outcry led by my crusade and a news story, forced Director Peterson to let them stay in the only home they have known. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) guidelines, they would need a new space and additional Chimps to create a better size social group. As it stood, the AZA would not send any more Chimps to live in their home at the time, Triple Grotto, built in the mid 1960s.
The new Chimpanzee area would be called The Great Ape Passage. It will initially consist of new Bedrooms, a Dayroom and a new Yard. All new areas built out of a renovation of the Historic Pachyderm Building. Access to the Pachyderm areas from Triple Grotto, would be by Skytrail. A renovation to Triple Grotto in the future would allow for the addition of Orangutans and the ability for both species to rotate the three areas.
The renovation to Triple Grotto phase never happened and the AZA still allowed Director Peterson her want of a pair of Orangutans, regardless of there being an appropriate place for them to live.
October 2018 - First New Male Chimpanzee arrives
November 2018 - Chimpanzee Dayroom in Pachyderm Building opens
February 2019 - Chimps are Introduced
March 2019 - Chimps move out of Triple Grotto into new Bedrooms in Pachyderm Building
April (end) 2019 - Male Orangutan arrives
May (beginning) 2019 - Female Orangutan arrives
May (end) 2019 - New Chimpanzee Yard opens
The Chimpanzees got to access their new yard for for less than a month. After that they were locked inside the dayroom with no outdoor access or fresh air for seven weeks. I wrote a blog post about this and the next day they had access. They have had access everyday since.
The female Orangutan was given access to the yard for those seven weeks. The male was not allowed access as he still had no recall ability. Once the Chimps were given access to their yard again, I began counting. Tomorrow would have be four months, since the female had access, but it had been the full eight months since the male arrived, that he had not had access to any outdoor area except the skytrails. (Written to reflect Orangutans having yard access yesterday.)
In September, three new Chimpanzees arrived, bringing the total group size to seven. This week marks one month of full integration. There are still random high energy outbursts which even more so, requires there to be enough space for everyone to have their own corner to go to. This is important during this time as well as for general Chimpanzee management. According to the AZA Care Manual, their recommended guideline for space for seven Chimps is 4000 sq ft. The Dayroom and Yard are 3800. Including the Bedroom space brings it in at the minimum recommendation .
The SFZoo's official word is that the two species will eventually rotate. I've heard different things over the last year, so its been kinda unclear, whether that would be through both areas or just the yard. In my opinion, and going by the AZA recommendations, rotation without a third space this is not a feasible option. Even if they were to rotate periodically or only for half day, that can not happen indefinitely, because of size constraints for seven Chimpanzees, not to mention the need for the Orangutans to have an environment where they can stretch and climb. Both physical actions are noted in the AZA Orangutan Care Manual.
Based on what the Zoo has put forth, and the fact that the Orangutans are living in the trails, the Zoo is selling an illusion. It is wrong that these poor Orangutans were brought here without there being a place for them to live.
So, they went to the yard yesterday, but as I wrote in my previous post about that, it's wonderful, but not a solution. Something needs to be done to create a third space and soon. A few months ago I wrote a post of what could happen.
In short, there needs to be a Triple Grotto renovation to create a second yard. Over the course of this situation, I heard Director Peterson only wanted to do one grotto. That does not seem like the best use for the space, or for the completed potential of the Great Ape Passage (GAP) project as a whole. With three grottos, combining two (the North and Middle Grottos) would create a good sized area, that would and should compliment the style that's been created in the dayroom and yard.
At this stage of the situation, in my opinion, it seems like the best approach would be doing whatever gets the Orangutans into a yard that they can have daily access to as soon as possible. After seeing how long it took for the new yard to be done, it seems any work done at Triple Grotto to make it look like it fit into the GAP project would take months. Something quick and simple should be considered.
That would leave the South Grotto, which is currently an off exhibit area. After the building is painted, that Grotto could be netted over and the Orangutans given access. It would create a temporary yard for them in a short period of time, which at this eight month mark is needed immediately. It could be used to house another Primate species at a later time. Whether they make the area accessible to the public or not, at least the Orangutans would have a yard and that is what is most important. They could still go to the trails and be visible to visitors.
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