A revolutionary new monkey walk-through at London Zoo
Tuesday 22 March 2005
London Zoo has launched a state of the art monkey walk-though forest, called 'Meet the Monkeys', officially opened by BBC comedy duo, The Mighty Boosh (Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt)
Our revolutionary new enclosure is the result of extensive research into what visitors really want from a modern zoo, and allows them to actually get in with the monkeys and observe them in their natural habitat.
The new enclosure covers an area of 1500m² and has been built to house a breeding group of black-capped squirrel monkeys in a habitat designed to recreate the Bolivian rainforests as closely as possible in the centre of London. The walk-through is open to the skies of the capital with no boundaries between the animals and our visitors.
"We have worked extremely hard on this exciting project for a long time, and not only does it really immerse our visitors in the world of the monkeys but it is also designed to inspire people to care about the natural world enough to protect it," commented David Field, Head of Animal Care. "We want people to encounter our animals at first hand and to leave the Zoo feeling that they have experienced something really special."
Meet the Monkeys This new urban eco-safari, a first for London, plunges visitors into the forests of Bolivia giving them the chance to come face to face with our animals. It also provides inspiration for adults and children to find their inner monkey in a specially designed 'play area' which highlights some of the tools and movements our monkeys use to navigate their environment.
We have also designed a tree trunk hide complete with telescopes to allow visitors to feel like they are on a real safari in the centre of London.
The Mighty Boosh
Meet the Monkeys - facts
- London Zoo has worked with Royal Parks and Westminster City Council to extend the Zoo boundary to accommodate our new enclosure
- The monkeys in our new exhibit are black capped or Bolivian squirrel monkeys
- These monkeys live in multi-male, multi-female groups and are considered to be the most active, social and vocal of all the squirrel monkeys
- Unique to this species is their 'girren' call
- Our squirrel monkeys are part of the European Endangered Species Programme
