New Development at Budapest Zoo Presents Gorilla Sounds

A new development at the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden presents the sounds of the gorilla troop living at the Budapest Zoo, allowing visitors to listen to the sounds used by the gorillas in various emotional states and communication situations.

The House of Great Apes, which was opened in 1987, has undergone several renovations in recent times. Among other things, the building's original ventilation system was replaced with a new, modern, energy-efficient and quiet air handling and ventilation system, and the information system located in the zoo's auditorium was also renovated - said Endre Sós, chief veterinarian and director of the zoo, at a press conference on Friday presenting the developments.

With the help of the information interfaces, visitors can learn more than ever before about the orangutans and gorillas living in the zoo and its outdoor enclosures, the threats to their survival in their natural habitat, and how they are cared for at the Budapest Zoo. One element of the information system commemorates Jane Goodall, the recently deceased world-renowned primate researcher and conservationist who visited the Budapest Ape House several times, he added.

One of the special elements of the new information system is the gorilla "language lab", with which visitors can listen in on the gorillas' conversations with each other. Under the plexiglass domes placed in the auditorium, the sounds of gorillas selected by the audience can be heard, and it is also revealed what each sound signal means and in what life situation the animals use it. The information is available in both Hungarian and English.

This "language lab" is unique in the world, the director-general emphasized.

The audience can sometimes hear the gorillas' voices directly, but this is partly down to luck, as they rarely make sounds, and when they are in the indoor spaces, almost no sound reaches the auditorium through the thick, bullet-proof glass separating the animals from the audience. Thus, the gorilla sounds that can be heard under the plexiglass domes can be a completely new experience for most visitors.

The new information system can already be used in the zoo.

Orangutans and gorillas at the Budapest Zoo

Orangutans lived in the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden as early as the late 1800s, but their breeding was only successful after they moved to the Apes House, which was completed at that time, in 1997. Previously, it was not possible to keep gorillas, and it was the construction of the animal house that created the opportunity for the Budapest Zoo to keep gorillas. The first ones arrived in 1989 and are currently residents of the city park. The House of Great Apes and its outdoor enclosures currently house two Sumatran orangutans and five western lowland gorillas, all of them critically endangered species of great apes. The youngest of the animals is Indigo, the fifth gorilla cub born in Budapest, who will turn eight on December 23.

Source: MTI.hu

Photos: MTI/Kovács Attila