Apes and sea lions

All four species of apes live in the Ape House: bonobos, chimpanzees, orang-utans and gorillas, and all in family groups. The Young Animal Rearing Facilities, which is next door, houses the "kindergarten" for ape babies from all over Europe who have not been accepted by their mothers. Various species of marmosets (emperor tamarins, white-fronted marmosets, pygmy marmosets) also live here, along with Goeldi's monkeys and a breeding group of the rare drills (" forest baboons").

To the upper side of the Ape House is the island compound with the House for Variegated Spider Monkeys, which one cannot enter, and the open-air enclosure for white-handed gibbons. This very high enclosure has been specially designed to suit the gibbons' singular method  of locomotion known as brachiation (swinging from the arms). Apart from the gibbons, the Javan leaf monkeys with their punk-style hairdos also live in the house that belongs to this enclosure. Common squirrel monkeys are to be seen in an enclosure on the Sub-Tropics Terraces. Further up the hill is the rocky area for monkeys. A large group of gelada baboons lives here together with Barbary sheep and Cape hyraxes, as well as a troupe of red-faced macaques, which originate from Japan. Further species of monkeys are kept in the Amazon House (howler monkeys, pale-headed sakis, gold-headed lion tamarins), and in the House for Nocturnal Animals (lesser mouse lemurs).

Close to the Young Animal Rearing Facilities one also finds the compound for the Californian sea lions. There is always something going on amongst the sea lion group, centred round Arno, the sea lion male – swimming, playing, lounging in the sun, arguing … the sea lions' drive for activity always invites you to stand and watch. And you shouldn't miss one of the daily feeding sessions! This is where the animals show all their special tricks. Of course they only need to do things that belong to the normal repertoire of a sea lion: the little tricks are not just to entertain the onlookers but also to give the animals a bit of fun. The only exception is on Thursdays, when the pool is cleaned and the sea lions remain in their private quarters. The indoor enclosure that is not open to the visitors.