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Perspective
GIANT ANTEATERS
Brookfield Zoo’s Tropic World, featuring Then and now, it is the perfect showcase for our education, conservation,
primates and other rain-forest animals, and animal care programs. At almost any time of the day, you can walk
has long been a standout among the among dozens of guests connecting with gorillas, red-tailed guenons,
many unforgettable exhibits at the zoo.
When it opened in 1982, Tropic World was and other species while learning facts through interpretive signs and
the world’s largest zoo building—75 feet discovering our commonalities with these species. Behind the scenes, future
high, 110 feet wide, and, at 475 feet long, conservation leaders are getting a first look at scientific principles, specialists
much longer than a football field. are devising higher-tech ways to keep the animals physically and mentally
stimulated and alert, and veterinary care staff are elevating the standards by
which the animals receive the best welfare.
Among the very special animals that have made a home in Tropic
World is our youngest orangutan, born just this past December. You
can read about her on page 9. Orangutans are critically endangered in the
l to wild, and through our conservation efforts, we are striving to ensure that
Tropic World and similar exhibits are not the only places to see these
charismatic animals.
Discover more about Tropic World in the 2016 Annual Impact Review,
included in this issue of Gateways. As a member of the zoo, your support
helps us provide the highest quality of care for the orangutan baby and all
of our other animals, offer innovative conservation programs and outreach
initiatives, and undertake cutting-edge research.
By Stuart D. Strahl, Ph.D. We hope you will visit us this summer to see Tropic World and our
President & CEO
new zoo babies. And while you’re here, check out Dinos & Dragons,
a spectacle featuring animatronic dinosaurs and dragons, as well as real-life
reptiles, including a 6-foot-long Komodo dragon, seen for the first time ever
at Brookfield Zoo.
BROOKFIELD ZOO | SUMMER 2017 5
