[Columbia, SC] - On April 12, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's two baboons, Baines and Lou, were reintroduced to a home they've lived in since 1980 and 1989 respectively. A month and a half long renovation that cost $35,000 was paid for with proceeds from 2005's annual Riverbanks Society fundraiser, Wild Things Safari.

"We've been talking about doing this project for a long time," said Satch Krantz, executive director for Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. "The artificial rock, or gunite, serves its purpose, especially for Hamadryas baboons that are used to living in semi-desert areas, savannahs and rocky areas, but adding natural substrate and climbing structures provides greater enrichment opportunities for our animals."

Zoo keepers credit Satch Krantz with coming up with the concept behind the exhibit's redesign. When Krantz traveled to Samburu Park in Kenya in 1991, he saw a collapsed bridge along a cliff side that had been taken over by a troop of baboons. The idea stayed with him.

The new exhibit features a grassy savannah and a collapsed bridge that serves as both a climbing structure and a shaded area for the animals. A deep pool and river bed that was originally incorporated into the exhibit when it housed grizzly bears in the 1970s was replaced with a shallow pool that ultimately gives the baboons more room to roam. The design called for part of the gunite to remain in place to provide the baboons with rockier terrain.

"The exhibit now has more variety and replicates a series of different environments baboons would encounter in the wild. All in all, it provides for a more enriching experience for our baboons," Krantz said.

The project was completed in-house with contractors coming in to complete specific jobs. The Zoo's maintenance staff rebuilt the waterfall and constructed the bridge structure after a demo contractor removed the gunite. Riverbanks' horticulture department was responsible for designing landscaping that would be both non-toxic to the animals and that would replicate the types of plants that the baboons might encounter in the wild. The lumber used to create the collapsed bridge is local untreated oak, carefully selected because of its ability to stand up to the baboons' wear and tear while also guaranteeing the animals won't be exposed to any toxic chemicals used in the wood treatment process.

While the exhibit is now finished, the complete renovation plans also call for a sheltered viewing platform to be installed outside the exhibit, which will allow children and adults alike to have an elevated view of Riverbanks' baboons. The viewing shelter is on target to be completed by early summer.

Riverbanks looks forward to receiving more baboons in the very near future. A national advisory group dedicated to baboons in captivity has recommended that at least four new baboons join Baines and Lou in their renovated exhibit by the end of 2006.

In the meantime, Baines and Lou will begin officially enjoying their new habitat at 11:00am today. Keepers expect their transition back to the exhibit to be a smooth one.

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