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Up Close (continued)
Even spots laid out just for kids can lure the animals in. This gibbon hung
out near the window and checked out the humans, as curious as you could imagine.
You have to use crawl pipes to scamper out to
the viewing pod,
which hangs into and over the gibbon exhibit.
One orangutan interaction occurs through the floor. The apes may just lie
there on the rope net, looking up and watching us. This particular female gave
us a clue as to why the animals may choose to do that: because they get treats
from these zones of their enclosures so close to the humans. There was a chute
nearby that appeared to exist for dropping treats down below to the orangutan.
No handler was here, so she didn't get a treat, but she rummaged about for one,
and fetched a palm frond to jam into the chute to see if anything would
dislodge. Clever girl.
Just who is watching whom, here?
Jungala creators built several such clever designs into the exhibits. As we
stood near the orangutan exhibit, a palm tree above us erupted in a spray of
water, dousing us quickly (but not too thoroughly). My indignation transformed
first into mirth, then admiration for the designers when I learned that an
orangutan down below had done it to us. The ape had waited until a clot of folks
were in the right spot, then nailed us by pushing a button on her end. In
return, a handler on this side released a treat for the orangutan (using some
sort of remote control).
The viewing room for the orangutans is not
air-conditioned
(it helps keep people moving, and letting new folks see).
Sure, the animals were clever, but it was the cleverness and ingenuity of the
designers that really struck me. It was almost as if they had laid out the basic
plan for the exhibits, and then examined each one and asked themselves, how can
we make THIS one different from every other exhibit like it on the planet? The
gibbons had that viewing pod connected by crawl tunnels. The tigers had tug of
war, a tunnel for viewing, and that incredible pop-up viewing turret. The
orangutans had the floor interaction and the touch zone.
Some exhibits aren't ground-breaking, but look
great nonetheless.
Both tigers and orangutans had other viewing platforms armed with telescoping
viewfinders. I was pleased to see they were free. Then I was shocked to see they
were state of the art, and not optical images at all, but a telescopic video
feed. Amazing.
Why not linger a few moments?
Another exhibit (perhaps for the exotic crocodilians?) beckoned children into
a tunnel at and below the water line.
An adult could squeeze in, but really this
looks to be for kids.
Even the nets high in the sky screamed ingenuity. I was delighted to see that
each knot of the nets was capped by metal, and the holes in the nets were small
enough that feet (even kids' feet) would not fall through. Of the many net
playgrounds I've run through, this one is the easiest on the feet.
There was an angled bed of nets, tilted out from anything below it, where the
brave could lay down and look down over nothing. It was a big drop and a minor
thrill.
Are you brave enough?
A minor maze, in three dimensions and going up/down as well as side to side,
was off to one corner. This material was even a touch trampoline-like, so
bouncing around was almost encouraged. Needless to say, it was quite fun.
Hidden near the bottom is an actual
trampoline, too.
Small dead-ends in the nets encouraged kids, and big kids, to just curl up
and relax for a bit. This playground was designed to accommodate adults as well,
and it does just fine with grown ups.
The rope tunnels circle the play area, but
high in the sky.
That said, there is an operational hiccup here: the rope net tunnels that
ring the area are not labeled, which invited people to use them
bi-directionally. This can't last. Kids might be able to squeak past each other,
but it's a major operation when one, let alone two, adults are involved. Things
grind to a halt, and the whole thing becomes less fun. They should install clear
entrance and exit signs for the rope tunnels.
There are sections dedicated to both toddlers and larger kids, but both were
non-operational on our visit.
The water playground for toddlers was turned
off.
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