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Rain Forest Fact Sheet
Wildlife
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One of the largest breeding groups of gorillas in North America — 19 western lowland gorillas in two family groups and three youngsters in an "off exhibit" nursery — 22 in all.
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More than 300 animals of 75 species, including primates, ungulates, birds, fish, invertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians.
Exhibit
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Most innovative zoo exhibit ever built, as the world's largest African rain forest exhibition at 6.5 acres immerses visitors in a replication of Central Africa habitat. Here, the visitor actually participates in saving African habitat.
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40,000 square foot "underground" building (public exhibit, animal management, and education components); powered by connection to Zoo-wide cogeneration system.
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1,600 lineal feet of public walkway with three bridges and one boardwalk.
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45,000 square feet of sculpted rock outcrops, lichen, fern, and eroded mudbanks; ten miles of vines both real and man-made.
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Eleven waterfalls - ranging from trickles to torrents - including four ponds and four streams. A ground fog system and special effects seep system are within the mudbanks.
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Gorilla exhibits: two seemingly contiguous exhibits: one 22,000 square feet; the other 28,000 square feet (includes ten large forest trees and an oxbow pond). This subspecies of gorilla climbs trees for food.
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The Zoo's most hands-on, interactive exhibits including thermographic African rock python display; CD-ROM touch-screen station: "Be A Gorilla" and "Create a Gorilla Reserve" activities.
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Over 15,000 plants of nearly 400 species, many of which have never before been grown in the New York area, ranging from 50-foot-tall trees to delicate orchids.
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Fifty-five artificial rain forest trees including: Ceiba, Uapaca, palm, Irvingia, Strangler Fig.
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Sixty-seat theater serves to inspire and educate visitors about how WCS - through Discovery, Involvement and Protection - Save Wildlife in tropical Africa.
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Direct connection to the largest NGO field team saving wildlife in Central Africa.
Education Features: Teacher Training Center Classrooms Within the Habitat
Flaherty Learning Center, which includes The Charles Hayden Foundation Treetop Lab and The Bodman Foundation Congo Lab, provides treetop level views of mandrills, gorillas, birds, and other wildlife within special classrooms and teacher facilities. This enables WCS to enlarge its internationally known program and expand its services for teachers nationwide, creating new models of conservation education. Congo-related environmental education material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-9614738.
Major Thrust to Save Animals in African Rain Forest
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For the first time, zoo-goers can make a conservation choice by voting their exhibit entry fee of $3 to support a WCS project dedicated to a wildlife species and wild habitat in the Congo basin region. How does one actually save a rain forest? The visitor will see in action WCS's equation:
DISCOVER animal needs
+ INVOLVE local people
+ PROTECT wild places
= SAVING WILDLIFE
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Estimated annual attendance: approximately 700,000.
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Additionally, the "Edge of the Forest" observation station allows visitors to view gorilla habitat for free.
Architects and Designers
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WCS Exhibition and Graphic Arts Department - master planning, conceptual design, exhibit design & production, and graphic design
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Helpern Architects - architects
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Humphreys & Harding - construction manager
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Archipelago Films: filmmaker Narration by: Glenn Close
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Harlem Textiles
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Cybermedia: CD-ROM programming
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Lyons & Zaremba: graphic designers
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