Ways toGive
Primate Forest is an opportunity to redesign standard zoo spaces into learning environments for all ages that will emphasize the importance of and connection between healthy animals, healthy people, and healthy habitats.
Introduction
Primate Forest is an opportunity to redesign standard zoo spaces into learning environments for all ages that will emphasize the importance of - and connection between - healthy animals, healthy habitats, and healthy people.
Focus on Forests
Large, interactive trees surrounded by a rotunda of floor-to-ceiling video screens will transport guests to an enchanting, arboraceous setting the moment they step inside Primate Forest.
Instilling a sense of wonder, discovery and curiosity, the entry into Primate Forest will illustrate the necessity of forests – and reveal the interconnectedness of people, animals, and environment in all its stunning complexity. This space will feature the first interactive, video-based learning environment in an Ohio zoo and offer opportunities for guests to explore their role in a sustainable future.
Animal Welfare
Primate Forest will put Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s scientific expertise front and center, inviting guests to see exclusive animal care and husbandry including voluntary blood draws, EKGs, and ultrasounds.
As a nationally recognized leader in animal care and veterinary medicine, the Zoo is eager to share more of its husbandry practices with visitors. Primate Forest will showcase the Zoo’s exemplary animal care with “health management hubs” for gorillas and orangutans. These hubs create space for animal keepers, research students, and volunteers to observe animal behaviors, collect data, and perform training, husbandry, and medical procedures – all within guests’ view. Observers may see silverback gorilla Mokolo voluntarily placing his fingers on a small plate that collects an EKG via app, an orangutan participating in a nebulizer breathing treatment, and much more. These practices, previously done in behind-the-scenes areas, will now be part of the visitor experience.
Community Impact
Since 1882, the Zoo has established itself as both a source of community pride and a science education agency with worldwide influence.
The Zoo generates $100 million in regional economic impact and draws more than 1.3 million people annually, making it the most visited destination in the region. Primate Forest will produce an estimated $131 million in economic impact to Northeast Ohio.
Reaching over 100,000 school children through educational programming each year, the Zoo is Northeast Ohio’s foremost provider of informal science education and maintains an ardent commitment to engaging its community in meaningful ways. Upon completion, Primate Forest will be included in the Zoo’s “Free Mondays,” granting free admission for all residents of Cuyahoga County and Hinckley Township.
Reimagined Habitats
A collaborative process that combined vanguard design principles, scientific prowess, and a focus on sensory appeal yielded habitat plans that offer benefits to both residents and guests of Primate Forest.
One of the most innovative design features of Primate Forest will be the use of ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) as a roofing material. ETFE allows for the passage of UV light, maximizing natural daylight cycles for animals and aiding in the growth of full-size trees and plants to create a lush forest environment. ETFE is currently in use on the RainForest dome and has introduced operational efficiencies and more sustainable facilities planning since it was added in 2020.
Year-round access to UV light benefits animals, plants, and humans alike, and will underline Primate Forest’s focus on the interconnectedness of all living things.
Your philanthropic support will make
Primate Forest possible.
Please reach out to our team to hear more about how you can support Primate Forest.
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