Community Corner
'Delightfully' Social Monkeys, Hot Springs at Heart of Zoo Expansion
A new state-of-the-art exhibit planned to open next fall at the Lincoln Park Zoo will showcase an open air design, hot springs, evergreen trees and most importantly, about a dozen "delightfully" social monkeys.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s next exhibit will be a $15 million home for Japanese macaques, also known as “snow monkeys.”
"These lively primates will thrill visitors with rich social displays among hot springs and evergreen trees," Zoo representatives said Wednesday on the nonprofit's Facebook page.
The species is known for being "delightfully social", they said, and the animals are coined "snow monkeys" because they traditionally live farther north than any non-human primate.
Japanese macaques call, chase, play and groom one another to maintain deep social bonds. The fabled snow monkeys are active in every season, climbing rich green trees and exploring crisp snowdrifts, zoo officials said in a news release.
The upcoming project will replace the former penguin house which has been shuttered since 2011. It's located along the zoo's western border.
"The exhibit they’ll call home—Regenstein Macaque Forest—will combine the natural and the state of the art," it says. "Green vines will camouflage walls, immersing visitors in the forest scene before them. Digital signage and a built-in research station will connect guests with the latest wild information, reinforcing the connection between Lincoln Park Zoo’s and the grand world of wildlife around us."
Its hot tubs or "hot springs" will mimic those the monkeys dip into in Japan
The center should open next fall with between 10 and 15 monkeys.
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