Orangutan Awareness Week at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo

October 30th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under

Chicago, Illinois – The Brookfield Zoo is offering visitors the chance to learn more about their primate counterparts at International Orangutan Awareness Weekend.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 in the Asia section of the Tropic World exhibit.

Participants will learn about the drastically dwindling international orangutan population, and what they can do to make a difference.

Kekasih, an orangutan who celebrated her first birthday Oct. 6, will be showcased along with her mom, Sophia, 28, father, Ben, 31, and brother, Denda, 7.

At Tropic World, there will be craft activities for children, produce trays to show what orangutans at the zoo eat, and Zoo Chats about orangutans, which will be held each day at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The weekend will focus on the heavily decreasing orangutan population. The zoo says research shows that orangutans will be extinct in the wild by 2025 due to loggers destroying their natural habitat — the rain forest islands of Sumatra and Borneo — poaching, and the illegal pet trade.

Orangutan Awareness Weekend is free to attend with admission. Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 3-11 and seniors 65 and older.

Source: http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/brookfield/newsnow/x1914252600/Patrons-can-come-monkey-around-at-the-zoo