Twycross Zoo Gorilla Enclosure Walk Around

A giant spider web, built-in firehose hammocks, multiple platforms and visual barriers, floating platforms, ladders and feeding stations, roping, solid climbing structures and moving climbing structures. These are just some of the things that were built into the gorilla design at Twycross Zoo.

Why did we design it like this? The layout of our usable area in the enclosure provided us with an interesting challenge. Staying 5 meters away from the building and 8 meters away from the public barrier gave us a back-to-front '6', meaning we had a round area with a long thin area at the top. We eventually settles on the design of four main structures, all joined together with a lot of 'stuff', all designed with the gorilla family in mind. For the oldies, there are lots of resting areas and easy-to-access climbing places. For the younger, or those more willing to climb, there are plenty of high areas. And for those who simply want some peace and quiet, there are many visual barriers all around where they can get away from it all.

We love the design and how it makes the most of the space available, and we have had fantastic feedback from the keepers, colleagues in other collections, and most importantly the gorillas themselves. We've also had the usual "it's very busy", and our reply as always, it's designed and built for the animals, not you ;-)

Thanks again to the team at Twycross, we had a great time working on this project, and it was a pleasure working with you all.

#Enrichment

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