Gibbon Islands

Gibbons are excellently adapted to life in the rainforest canopy. For example, the apes are built for swinging among the trees with long arms and fingers. Gibbons are famous for their loud musical calls, which can carry over long distances to communicate through the dense foliage. Visitors to Gibbon Islands have the first-hand opportunity to see their aerial acrobatics and hear their melodic songs.

Constructed in 1974, Gibbon Islands replaced the Zoo Summer Opera Pavilion. The loud hooting calls of the apes succeeded the arias of opera singers. Visitors walk across a wooden bridge as they gaze up at the gibbons swinging on giant jungle gyms built on lushly landscaped islands.

Photos (clockwise, from top):
Siamang, White-Cheeked Gibbion, Siamangs