Ten Great Years of Great Apes
By: Cody Mattox
A Look Back on the Simon Sjkodt International Orangutan Center’s Ten Years at the Indianapolis Zoo
With this year’s grand opening of the Penny & Jock Fortune International Chimpanzee Complex presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers, the Indianapolis Zoo is celebrating another incredible milestone with its involvement in great apes – the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center. Over the past decade, the IOC has been regarded as quite the accomplishment for the Indianapolis Zoo and its mission in advancing wildlife conservation. It has won awards for Best Zoo Exhibit in the US, it has developed technology for scientists to better understand the intelligence of apes, it is home to the oldest male orangutan in the country and many more!
This award-winning facility has been hailed as one of the most significant zoo exhibits in the world. Before its grand opening in 2014, this project that was in development for three years. Bringing great minds of architects, engineers, primatologists and Zoo officials, to design this historic structure. The overall goal was to create a “functional forest” to stimulate the apes’ physical, social and intellectual abilities. To allow the orangutans, to live like orangutans. The exact same concept went into design and construction of the Chimpanzee Complex.
The design of the facility was also meant to serve as a vital education, research and conservation center. One of key elements of the IOC, is the cognitive research of these apes. Orangutans stimulate their minds with optional computer tasks that help Zoo scientists and the public understand more about how orangutans learn and think about their world. The Zoo’s President & CEO Dr. Rob Shumaker conducts daily demonstrations to help visitors experience the incredible intelligence of orangutans and why it is important to understand their cognitive abilities. Dr. Shumaker and the Zoo hopes to continue that mission with chimpanzees with the Harlan/Shriver Families Cognition Center. There chimpanzees can choose to engage in cognitive tasks through computerized touch panel stations designed by scientists to study how they think and perceive the world.
The Indianapolis Zoo’s mission is to protect nature and inspire people to care for our world, and that statement translates well into the development of the IOC. When visitors come to see the Orangutan Center, they can learn more about the threats of extinction these apes face in the wild, the different conservation initiatives that the Zoo supports across the globe and how zoogoers can help make an impact during their next trip to the grocery store.
While the IOC is truly a monument for the Zoo, it’s the orangutans themselves that generate the most popularity with guests. The International Orangutan Center is home to 10 Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, one of the largest orangutan communities in any AZA accredited Zoo. All 10 orangutans are truly incredible with unique personalities, but there are two that stand out from this past decade – Rocky and Mila.
Rocky
Rocky is a fan favorite of the Zoo, but many people are unaware of his background prior to arriving at the Zoo. Born into the entertainment industry, Rocky had become famous from appearing in TV commercials, music videos and magazines. He was retired from the industry as part of the Great Ape Trust’s commitment to ape welfare. During his time at the Zoo, he has become famous in the hearts of Zoogoers. He is very interactive with visitors and has a great interest in tattoos, bandages and jewelry.
Mila
Mila is the very first orangutan to be born at the Indianapolis Zoo back in 2016. She is the daughter of Sirih and Basan. Keepers and guests have had the joy of watching her grow over the past eight years and her mischievous and energetic personality has brought nothing but smiles from everyone who visits her.
<Photo by Orangutan Keeper Olivia Claffey>
Ember
On August 20th, the Indianapolis Zoo had the pleasure of welcoming the newest member of the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center – Ember. She is a 43-year-old female Bornean orangutan, who came to the Zoo from the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. She shows a lot of confidence and loves to explore her new habitat. At age 43, Ember is the oldest female orangutan at the Zoo, the only female Bornean (all others are Sumatran and Bornean mixed) orangutan in Indy.
<Photo by Orangutan Keeper Olivia Claffey>
It has been an incredible 10 years that the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center has brought to the Zoo. Over the course of a decade, this facility has won multiple awards for Best Zoo Exhibit in the US, helped advance conservation efforts in the wild, participated in several academic science studies and helped paved the way for the new Chimpanzee Complex. In commemoration of 10 great years of great apes, the Zoo looks to the future with many more years of great apes and ensuring a positive future for critically endangered apes in the wild.
