Image: The new zoo attraction will open in 2014A groundbreaking event has taken place to mark the start of construction work on the new US$21.5m (EUR17.1m, £13.5m) International Orang-utan Center at Indianapolis Zoo, US.
The project has received US$1.5m (EUR1.2m, £942,800) from the Nina Mason Pullman Charitable Trust and is part of a wider US$30m (EUR23.8m, £18.9m) conservation drive.
Due to open in May 2014, Indianapolis Zoo is hoping the International Orang-utan Center will create a new standard in animal habitat design and help further protect the species.
Extending upwards from the centre of the exhibit will be a 150ft (492m) Beacon of Hope, which is to be illuminated by lights turned on by the orang-utans themselves.
Zoo president and CEO Michael Crowther said: "The International Orang-utan Center will be the most important zoo exhibit in the world and a global centre of excellence."
Alan Cohen, chair of the zoo's board of trustees, added: "The centre is good for our state and is expected to have an annual impact of US$132m (EUR104.6m, £82.9m) on Indiana's economy."
Click here for more details about the new International Orang-utan Center.
Image: Claire
