'It's a huge undertaking for us': $66 million project will get Brookfield Zoo's primates outside
He's the glue of the family.
At 26 years old, Jontu left his bachelor pad in St. Louis to take charge of an all-female troop of western lowland gorillas at Brookfield Zoo. The new silverback is the dominant male, the peacekeeper, the undisputed king of a man-made jungle.
Jontu (pronounced JOHN-too) and his five female companions live inside Tropic World, a 40-year-old primate building with rainmaking machines, concrete floors and slabs of artificial rock. Like clockwork, thunder echoes through Tropic World.
“We've had animals that have just never been outside before, and it's just not the way that we want our animals to be living,” said Dr. Michael Adkesson, the zoo's director.
A $66 million project will give gorillas, orangutans and several species of South American monkeys a lush outdoor complex on the north side of Tropic World. The new primate spaces will be filled with grasses, vines, running water and abundant sunshine. The zoo also plans to add a group of bachelor gorillas.
“It's a huge undertaking for us, but it's going to transform this entire West Mall into four outdoor immersive habitats that are just absolutely spectacular from a design standpoint,” Adkesson said, looking across the 2-acre construction site.
When the zoo opened its gates in 1934, the grounds were laid out in the style of a classic botanical garden, with vast stretches of lawn. The suburban institution still has room to grow.
With Brookfield's 100th anniversary approaching in 2034, zoo officials are launching a centennial fundraising campaign to revamp exhibits across the campus.
“The undeveloped acreage we have at the zoo is going to allow us to do some really expansive and incredible animal habitats,” Adkesson said. “We're looking to keep that forested environment that we have on the west end of the zoo, but put animals out into it.
“Instead of looking at a tiger and a leopard in the grottoes like we currently have, you're looking at a tiger and a leopard out in the middle of a forest that would be very similar to how you might see them in their natural regions.”
Instead of looking into a pit or from the other side of a moat, you'll end up face-to-face with the great apes, separated only by huge panes of glass. “Sway poles” - bamboo pole vaults - will encourage orangutans, an acrobatic, arboreal species, to use their climbing skills, much as they would in the wild.
“Taking that space, two acres worth of land, and giving it back to the animals,” Adkesson said, “just felt like such a great way to showcase what we're trying to do here as we look to transform so many other parts of the park.”
Settling in
In Tropic World, a 505-pound physique makes Jontu the center of attention. His zookeepers describe him as a gentle giant.
“He's a fantastic animal, just a nice, calm demeanor, gets along well with everybody that we've got in our troop and has really just settled in great,” Adkesson said.
It was a reunion of sorts when the silverback arrived in February. Adkesson completed his veterinary residency at Saint Louis Zoo, Jontu's former home. Adkesson went on to become Brookfield Zoo's chief vet, overseeing medical care for more than 2,500 animals.
Now, as president and CEO of the Chicago Zoological Society, the nonprofit that runs the zoo, Adkesson is laying out a broad master plan for future improvements, visitor attractions, conservation work and field research.
At the north entrance, Adkesson aims to “liven up that whole experience as you first come in the zoo.” Near the south gate, a new toucan exhibit and another resident already have made some noise.
“I can hear him all the way up in my office,” Adkesson said of the high-pitched yelp of a red-legged seriema, a ground-dwelling bird native to South America.
One big priority: re-creating a mixed-species savanna in the northwest section of the campus. The Pachyderm House, one of the oldest zoo buildings, would turn into more of a gallery with savanna views.
“You'd have giraffes and zebras and some hoof stock species all out together and commingled in that space, so it would be more reflective of what you would see in the wild,” Adkesson said.
Bachelors, babies
Two gorilla troops - Jontu's family unit and an all-male group - will have new indoor and outdoor habitats. Maturing males are sometimes known to form bachelor groups in the wild. In zoos, younger gorillas can learn from older males how to grow into the silverback role.
“They will continue to have that social structure until they're needed elsewhere,” said Megan Kovanda, a lead animal care specialist for primates. “This will be new for us. We have not managed a bachelor troop here.”
Once everyone's acclimated, the zoo hopes to resume breeding in the family troop, depending on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Gorilla Species Survival Plan. The cooperative program is designed to maintain genetically diverse and healthy gorilla populations.
“The new spaces are quite a bit bigger than what we currently have, so it will allow us to build out to a larger family troop,” Adkesson said.
Orangutans are more solitary. Brookfield has two groups of two and a lone adult male. Sophia may be the savviest of the five.
“She puts two and two together very quickly. She's really good with tool use,” Kovanda said, “and she's just a very smart individual.”
Visitors will be able to observe primate intelligence and training sessions up close.
“That will hopefully help inspire them to want to help the animals in the wild and the conservation programs that the zoo supports,” Kovanda said.
Leading the way
Western lowland gorillas and orangutans are considered critically endangered. Orangutans once lived across Southeast Asia but now exist only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Their numbers have dwindled as rainforests are cleared and replaced with palm oil plantations. Avoiding palm oil in products like peanut butter is one of the simplest ways to help orangutans.
“That's a story that we're really going to try and lean into,” Adkesson said.
The zoo will share a similar story in a Gorilla Conservation Center being built on the far end of Tropic World. Zoo officials will hold a groundbreaking ceremony this fall. The entire complex should be done in 2025.
As the troop's alpha, Jontu could help female gorillas venture into their outdoor habitats. “If he is calm, and he's willing to go out and explore, they're going to follow him,” Kovanda said. “They're going to follow his lead.”