Living Rain Forest Exhibit Opens Thursday at Utica Zoo

We'll get to see 2 years of planning and elbow grease come to life at the Utica Zoo this week. And while Zoo staff and city officials are excited about the new Outdoor Living Rainforest Exhibit, Snowflake and Yoda the White-Handed Gibbons that will call it home are like kids at Christmas. Here are some photos of the new exhibit.

The new exhibit came to fruition through the Zoo's "We Don’t Like It Either" fundraising campaign. As a rule, Gibbons live in the trees and rarely go to the ground. The new Rain Forest Habitat will provide the pair with an expanded environment including 8 times as much living space, complete with ropes and platforms for their "swinging. climbing and hanging" lifestyles.

In addition, there's a glass visitor viewing area and a heated platform enabling Snowflake and Yoda to enjoy more time outdoors. The Zoo plans a ribbon cutting ceremony this Thursday morning, November 15 at 11. It's free to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Zoo isn't taking a break, they're onto creating a 2nd Living Rainforest for their Mexican Spider Monkeys.