Last summer, work started on the brand new, state of the art gorilla house at Jersey Zoo. This new building is set to be Europe’s most modern gorilla facility and will replace the troop’s current home which was officially opened in 1981.
Progress on site is clearly visible, with the foundations and outside structure now in place. The new building includes space for over a metre of bark chip for the floor, height for 5m tall wooden climbing frames, as well as two indoor housing spaces for the troop and eight separate dens for husbandry training and animal management.
The drainage for the building is also complete, with the building team now focussed on preparing to make it watertight, which will include adding the ceiling to the building, followed by the roof.
The groundwork for what will be the new visitor area has been carved out, where you can see the magnificent size of the amazing new space in all its glory.
During this time, Jersey Zoo’s expert team of keepers have been working closely with Badongo, Bahasha, Hlala Kahilli and Amari to keep them as comfortable as possible – the team can’t explain in words to our gorillas that all of this commotion and noise is for their new house! Gorillas generally like to be able to see where an unknown noise is coming from; understanding this helps them relax, and you will sometimes see Badongo at the top of the climbing structures checking out progress.
Visitors to the zoo will be able to spot the outline of the new building as it continues to take shape behind the current gorilla enclosure. The team at Jersey Zoo will continue to share updates on this exciting project in the coming months.
It is thanks to the generosity of Durrell supporters, proceeds from the Go Wild Gorillas trail and The Government of Jersey’s Fiscal Stimulus Fund that covered the costs of the preparatory works, which included relocating the Visayan warty pig enclosure, to enable this ambitious build.