10:45am – After I’ve finished my coffee and enjoyed watching the gibbons climb on the ropes, I start walking towards the orangutan board walk. The free Orangutan Keeper Talk starts at 11 and I don’t want to miss it!
11:00am – Made it to the boardwalk, ready to listen to the zoo keeper. Keeper Talks are one of my favourite parts of a Zoo visit because they are super informative. For orangutans, you can learn a lot about their interesting behaviours and how you can make small, easy changes to help them in the wild.
11:15am – The talk runs for about 15 minutes, and afterwards I spend some time watching the orangutans. They are great at building nests, so often I like to look up into the tall enclosure and watch them build or hide in the various materials. Often they are exhibiting cool behaviours that the zoo keeper has just talked about – like using tools to problem solve.
11:30am – Now onto probably my favourite part of the Zoo, the Primate Trail! My best tip for the Primate Trail: It’s best to walk through slowly and quietly so the animals don’t retreat into a hiding place. And listen very closely! A lot of the little monkeys are very vocal and chatty, so sometimes you’ll hear them before you see them.
Normally, the primate trail animals get a feed in the morning, so I always check the feeding platforms to watch them munching away on snacks. The marmosets are adorable when they eat!
We have a family of four Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs, they love to rest and chill in the trees and hammocks. But if you stick around long enough you’ll see they have moments of big energy, they can be very loud and vocal – lots of fun to watch!
The pair of Ring-tailed Lemurs are often sitting high and bathing in the sun or grooming each other. And the Common Marmosets have a lot of attitude, if you see them fluff themselves up it means they’re showing you who’s boss!
Tufted Capuchins are super active and can even use their tails to grip and balance as they run across the ropes at the top of the exhibit. I could go on about the primates forever… can you tell this is my favourite part of the Zoo?!
12:15pm – Now, onto Amazonia for Squirrel Monkeys! This group is so active and so much fun to watch. My best tip? Look up! The monkeys are always running through the overhead tunnels to keep you on your toes.
12:30pm – I end my perfect primate day with a walk back past the orangutans and up to visit to the White-cheeked gibbons at the top of the Zoo. It’s a beautiful peaceful spot, and if you’re lucky you might hear our mother and daughter duo singing a gibbon duet.