Tropical Ape House
The 2,000-square-metre-large monkey house was built in 1975 thanks to a donation from the Walter Gehlen Foundation and with the help of the Zoofreunde Krefeld organisation. It had some new features that caused a stir for both visitors and apes alike: the apes no longer live in sterile, tiled rooms but in spacious areas with natural climbing trees. Only a dry trench stands between the animals and visitors, enabling them to have direct visual and audio contact.
In brief
- Area: 2,000 sqm
- Orang-utans, chimpanzees, gorillas, marmosets, fruit bats and birds
- Temperature: 20–26°C
- Hot, humid tropical climate with 70% humidity
- Panoramic view into the monkey house
A pleasant tropical climate is created through the structure of the greenhouse and the lush tropical plants. The plants are good for the residents, who usually live in forests, helping their airways and fur in particular. Free-flying birds and epauletted fruit bats provide additional stimulus for the jungle inhabitants.
The creation of three outdoor areas for the great apes is a further step towards keeping the animals in their optimal environments. The ‘Garden for Gorillas’ appeal organised by Zoofreunde Krefeld e.V. has raised money to build the first enclosure for the lowland gorillas.
