Cleveland Zoo’s $60 Million Primate Forest Opens Next Week, Giving Orangutans Outdoor Space for the First Time
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo opened its RainForest building in 1992, and the orangutans have been living under its big glass dome ever since. Now, more than 30 years later, they’re getting an outdoor yard for the first time at the zoo.
Some of the orangutans have never even experienced grass, zoo executive director Chris Kuhar told Cleveland Magazine. Their new home is part of Primate Forest, which opens to visitors at noon on Thursday, October 22.
The zoo broke ground on September 10, 2024, and originally put the first phase at about $60 million. That number has gone up since then, with Cleveland Magazine reporting a $70 million price tag for the first phase and $120 million for the whole project.
People who remember the old RainForest will still recognize parts of it. The indoor thunderstorm is staying, and the new Primate Forest will have more than 60 species, including orangutans, clouded leopards, capybaras, giant anteaters and Asian small-clawed otters. There will also be monkeys, bats, birds, snakes, turtles and some less familiar animals like binturongs and agoutis.
The Orangutans Have Never Had an Outdoor Yard at the Zoo
Embedded media follows. Please allow a moment for it to load.
The orangutans aren’t losing the 40-foot dome they’ve called home for years. The zoo has added a two-story dayroom and an outdoor yard with long ropes and climbing structures that move with the wind.
The Cleveland Zoological Society said keepers can also give the orangutans hanging feeders and material to make nests. All of this will give them more opportunities to use the space above the ground.
There’s another part of their new home where guests can watch the zoo’s animal care team at work. The orangutans have been trained to cooperate with blood draws, EKGs, and heart ultrasounds, and they sometimes get fruit as a reward.
A 16-Foot Python Is Getting a Bigger Home, Too
People who remember the old RainForest won’t find the 25-foot waterfall that used to be near the entrance. The ant tubes and open-air spider exhibits are gone as well, with that space now being used for the Care and Conservation Center.
The center will have work involving threatened animals such as Puerto Rican crested toads and spotted turtles. Visitors can get a look at some of the breeding efforts that usually happen away from the public.
Then there’s Cinnamon, a Burmese python who’s about 16 feet long and 25 years old. She used to have a much smaller exhibit, but zoo curator Elena Less told Cleveland Magazine that Cinnamon now has two connected rooms, where she can finally stretch out her whole body.
Families will also find something new upstairs. The PNC Adventure Playspace has a giant orangutan sculpture that doubles as a climbing structure, along with rope bridges, play towers and large windows overlooking the outdoor animal habitats.
Visitors Will Need to Reserve a Place in Line
The zoo says visitors will need a timed-entry reservation for Primate Forest, even if they already have tickets to the zoo. You can sign up starting at 10 a.m. on the day you visit, but not any earlier.
At the zoo, scan the QR code, choose a time, and enter how many people are coming with you, up to 15. You’ll get a text with a link to your ticket. The time you choose is for joining the line, so there could still be a wait before you get inside.
The October 22 opening won’t include the new Gorilla Forest, which is part of the second phase. The zoo expects to have the entire project finished by 2032, around its 150th anniversary.
