札幌・円山動物園の新たな挑戦　オランウータンの森で来場者はスコールも体感「動植物に教わりながら手入れをして、50年後が一番よく」

This spring, a new and noteworthy facility will be opening at Sapporo's Maruyama Zoo. HBC cameras followed the zoo exclusively over the three years leading up to its completion. A downpour. We're inside the building, holding umbrellas. The temperature outside is -5°C. But step inside and it's 20°C with 99% humidity! Due for its spring opening, the facility is called "Orangutans and the Borneo Forest." This is a zoo, but it's hard to see the animals!? This new facility. There's a meaning and a message behind the zoo's "mission." July 2021. Mother orangutan Renbo and her baby Reito, who was only one year old at the time. On this day, they're moving from their familiar home. Today's destination: a veterinary hospital, hidden from visitors. Fifty years after its construction, the Ape House is about to be rebuilt. Osamu Kato, Director of Sapporo Maruyama Zoo at the time "Orangutans are originally tree-dwelling animals, so the height is definitely not enough." The word "orangutan" means "forest person." As the name suggests, they are animals that naturally spend most of their lives in trees. But mother Renbo is very good at walking on the ground... Lee Young-jae, Zookeeper, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo "Mammals, including us, are highly adaptable to their environments, and we have continued to adapt and endure a certain degree of environmental variation." Sapporo City enacted the nation's first "Zoo Ordinance" two years ago. The ordinance's main focus is "improving animal welfare," so that animals can live in their natural habitats, rather than simply living in captivity. The new facility where the orangutans will live is the first to be built since the ordinance was enacted. Last May, HBC cameras were the first to enter the facility, which was still under construction. The ceilings have been raised to ensure more space so that the orangutans who live in the trees can move around naturally. The pillars that support the height are now undergoing some work. The "tree trunks" are being finished in perfect harmony. Everything that can be seen by visitors and the orangutans is transformed into the very essence of wood, right down to the texture. A true work of artisans. While construction was progressing, Renbo and Reito continued to live at the veterinary hospital, through two winters. They were stressed and their health was unstable at times, but they were getting healthier as the building neared completion. Reito, who is now three years old, is especially eager to play. Meanwhile, construction was underway on the area that visitors would actually walk through at the new facility. The goal is to perfectly recreate the forests of Borneo, the orangutans' homeland in Southeast Asia. Hiroshi Okawa, Okasan Libik "Looking at the model, we worked with the craftsmen to create an image of Borneo based on a shared understanding." Ayana Shiiki, Designer, Okasan Libik "There are aspects that cannot be fully expressed through detailed measurements on blueprints, so the model is everything." A realistic appearance that cannot be seen from a floor plan is shaped with attention to detail, down to the millimeter. This space, which the craftsmen spent several months building, will now become a forest. Lee Young-jae, Zookeeper, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo "The moment we added plants native to Borneo, it was like a breath of life was breathed into the building all at once." The way they are planted is noteworthy. The leaves are overgrown in front of the animal enclosures, making it difficult to see inside. Lee Young-jae, Zookeeper, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo "It's designed so that people are actually entering the animals." This is no longer just a facility for viewing animals; it's a place where you can experience the entire environment with your whole body. When you're invited into the forests of Southeast Asia, you're transported to a tropical world with humidity levels exceeding 90%. Even when visitors are present, rain showers pour into the zoo. This brings changes to the zookeepers' work. We see Lee diligently caring for plants, rather than orangutans. Lee Young-jae, Zookeeper at Sapporo Maruyama Zoo "I don't feel it's difficult. I want to stay here forever. Creating an indoor environment where Borneo's native plants can thrive directly translates into a more comfortable and pleasant space for the orangutans." And then, in late December of last year, the landscape turned snowy. Lee Young-jae, Zookeeper at Sapporo Maruyama Zoo "They know. They really know. 'They can get out of here (the veterinary hospital),' and their expressions change when they see that." Our first stop is the "backyard," an area hidden from visitors, where sleeping areas and health checks are carried out. Lee Young-jae, Zookeeper, Sapporo Maruyama Zoo "Even in the backyard, this facility is mindful of the animals' welfare. We try to match the structure and even the color of the walls to the previous enclosures as closely as possible. We try to ...