Philadelphia, PA, USA (May 20, 2015) — Great apes are on the move like never before with the opening of Gorilla Treeway, the newest addition to Zoo360, Philadelphia Zoo’s first-in-the-world animal travel and exploration trail system.
Gorilla Treeway is a 300-foot mesh engineered overhead passageway, extending 12 feet above the visitor path from PECO Primate Reserve, encouraging these magnificent primates to explore among the trees and expand their world. Through Gorilla Treeway – a 5-foot-wide by 6-foot-tall rigid trail structure – Kira, Honi, Motuba, Louis and Kuchimba, Philadelphia Zoo’s Western lowland gorillas, will enjoy long-distance travel, investigate a greater variety of environments and determine their own experiences.
Additional expansions are underway for Big Cat Crossing and Treetop Trail. A groundbased extension of Big Cat Crossing will add 170 feet of trailway along the Zoo’s Bird Lake for big cats to experience new waterfront vantage points. Treetop Trail, which is currently used by monkeys and lemurs, will connect to Great Ape Trail and the holding area for Coquerel’s sifaka. With this 200-foot addition, sifaka and more small arboreal species, will benefit from the enrichment and excitement Zoo360 offers.
With the opening of Gorilla Treeway, Zoo visitors will also experience the time-sharing capabilities of Zoo360. In colder months, the large felines from neighboring First Niagara Big Cat Falls will have exclusive access to Gorilla Treeway until the weather is suitable for great apes to venture outdoors. Over time, and through gradual acclimation, gorillas can move through Gorilla Treeway, while big cats roam the ground-based portion of Big Cat Crossing directly below them.
In 2015, Philadelphia Zoo is celebrating the ‘Year of the Gorilla’ empowering Zoo audiences to reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink to save gorillas and other wildlife by saving energy. In addition to connecting with great apes on the move in Zoo360, guests will have the opportunity to embark on their own journey taking action to save gorillas in the wild.