The Orangutan’s At The Indianapolis Zoo Are Amazing

The world has many amazing animals, and among these are the Orangutan’s that now live at the Indianapolis Zoo. The Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center is a rare treasurer hat is home to largest group of orangutans in any American zoo.

When you visit be sure to check out the kiosks set up throughout the exhibit that reveal more about orangutans in the wild. One of the important aspects of the Orangutan Center is revealing how the loss of suitable forest habitats have impacted the orangutans and other animals, and how you can help.

The Indianapolis Zoo has already stepped in to help reestablish their home in the wild by supporting an Indonesian reforestation initiative that began in Borneo’s Kutai National Park. While the forest will take years to grow, when everyone joins together we can make a difference as you’ll learn on your visit.

Did You Know? – Orangutans also have opposable thumbs and opposable big toes, and incredible upper body strength, which makes easy for them to climb as high as heights of 150 feet above the ground!

While in the exhibition you cannot help but be amazed at how graceful the orangutans are as they swing back and forth upwards of 70 feet high across the “functional forest.” Throughout the exhibit the orangutans have the freedom to go where they please or wander off to one of the three Oases where they can seek solitude from the others.

Do not miss a visit to the Efroymson Family Exploration Hub to experience first-hand the puzzle solving skills of the apes as they work together at several interactive stations. The orangutans here are into tech; in fact, they have the world’s first orangutan vending machines. And, they’re also learning new language skills on the computers in the Tim M. Solso Learning Studio. And, this is just the beginning of groundbreaking ways the orangutans at the Center will utilize technology.

The Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center recently welcomed Kim, a 39-year-old orangutan, and her baby Max. They moved from the Jackson Zoo in Mississippi to Indianapolis because of the state-of-the-art facilities, expert veterinary staff, skilled ape caretakers and management philosophy.

Kim and Max have made some great improvement, and are adjusting well to their new home. For Orangutan’s the habitat is ideal because it was designed with cables, fire hoses, ladders and other features to encourage climbing. This is especially helpful for Kim, who was a bit over weight when she arrived.