Guerezas and De Brazza’s monkeys settle in to the new new gorilla house

The mantled guerezas carefully investigated all the elements of the outdoor enclosure. Photo Oliver Le Que, Prague Zoo

“Almost immediately after opening the door, all five guerezas, including the female and her baby, jumped out onto the nearest tree. After a while, they calmed down and started climbing up the ropes and trunks,” said Martin Vojáček, the head keeper of primates, describing the guerezas’ first experience with the outdoor enclosure.

For the first time ever, these arboreal monkeys were able to experience the extensive, green enclosure, planted trees, wizened trunks and rope rigging. Through the large windows, they can also get to know their future housemates - a family group of western lowland gorillas. The exhibits are structurally designed so that both species can retire, independently of one another, to the background area.

The pavilion’s other residents are also going through the varying phases of adaptation. The De Brazza’s monkeys are already getting to know the layout of the indoor exhibit, which they will share with red river hogs.

“In order to make it easier for the guerezas and the De Brazza’s monkeys to get used to their new environment, we first acclimatized them to their new surroundings in the breeding facility. Now we are gradually letting them into the indoor area and then the outdoor exhibitions,” explained Jan Mengr, the curator of primates, describing the varying phases of inhabiting the pavilion, adding that the De Brazza’s monkeys will probably enter their outdoor enclosure next week.

The new gorilla house, with all its exhibits and inhabitants, will be opened to the public on September 28th to mark the zoo’s 91st anniversary celebration.