Orangutan Home Services, will be generously donating a portion of their profits to help support the Phoenix Zoo’s construction of Orang-Hutan: “People of the Forest” habitat.
The donation of $500,000 will be used to continue the construction of the new habitat for the Zoo’s family of four orangutans; Duchess, Bess, Michael and Kasih. The exhibit will allow 5 times more space outdoors and nearly 15 times more space indoors than the previous exhibit. The new facility includes two indoor climate controlled habitats and two large outdoor habitats with sway poles, ropes and plenty of climbing structures for the orangutans to enjoy.
“We are extremely grateful and excited about this generous donation from Ora
ngutan Home Services,” says Bert Castro, CEO and President of the Phoenix Zoo. “This exhibit is the largest single undertaking in the history of the Zoo and their donation helps us to provide a state of the art habitat for our beloved family of orangutans. We consider Orangutan Home Services a tremendous supporter of the Zoo and are thrilled they are embarking on this historic project with us.”
Jordy Tessler, President of Orangutan Home Services, has a clear vision for his company’s philanthropy: “Our slogan is ‘Improve Your Habitat,’ so for us this is a small step in the right direction, and it’s certainly the right thing to do to protect these incredible creatures.” Tessler also adds, “The Phoenix Zoo is the ideal place for families, and children of all ages. We want to do our part to ensure that everyone who visits will have a positive experience.”
The orangutans’ most recent exhibit was built in 1975 and was considered state of the art for its time. Since then, more has been learned about orangutans’ needs, behaviors, and social structures and the Zoo is incorporating those ideas in this much more naturalistic exhibit. With modern amenities and a larger area to explore, the Zoo will have the opportunity to add more orangutans in the future. Orang-Hutan: “People of the Forest” will open in April 2011.
