CLEVELAND — The RainForest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is expanding.
The zoo is creating a new Primate Forest, a 140,000 square foot world-class indoor destination that will become a new home for the gorillas and orangutans.
The Primate Forest will be two stories and have more than 10,000 plants and over 600 animals that currently live in the RainForest.
The Cleveland Metroparks released a preview of what visitors can expect in the Primate Forest. Watch it in the media player below:
The initial expansion will be centered around a two-story Forest Gallery, which will serve as a new entrance to the Primate Forest. Guests will be immersed in the beauty of the rain forest through interactive technology and multi-story play structures.
“The partnership with CrossCountry Mortgage is catalytic to bringing a truly transformative experience to Cleveland,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman, in a news release. “The new CrossCountry Mortgage Forest Gallery and yet to be named Primate Forest habitats will connect our guests with wildlife like never before.”
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will incorporate state-of-the-art technology and the latest research on animal care and conservation.
The expansion announcement comes after the zoo welcomed the birth of both a baby gorilla and baby orangutan, two of the world’s most endangered primates.
Construction on the Primate Forest is expected to begin as early as next year.
Since the RainForest opened in 1992, they have welcomed more than one million guests every year.
The Cleveland Zoological Society is fund-raising for the Primate Forest, which is expected to be funded primarily by philanthropic donations. Additional details, including total project cost, are to be determined as construction plans are finalized, the zoo said in a news release.
