515 Crew

I've been wanting to check this place out since they opened it. I guess they don't give out many tours to the public because they insist it's not a zoo.


Anyways, if you want to check this place out, here's what you have to do:

1. Become a member in the Great Ape Trust foundation. You can do that at their webpage http://www.greatapetrust.org. The lowest membership comes at $35 (with a free magnet!).

2. They are currently offering members to schedule tours for July and August (I believe). For the $35 membership, you are entitled to admission for two people. I'm going on July 17.

3. Find the place and go there for your scheduled 2 1/2 hour tour.

I think this place will be pretty cool.

i cant believe this is in iowa. i would love to see this place sometime.

El Rhino wrote:I've been wanting to check this place out since they opened it. I guess they don't give out many tours to the public because they insist it's not a zoo.


Anyways, if you want to check this place out, here's what you have to do:

1. Become a member in the Great Ape Trust foundation. You can do that at their webpage http://www.greatapetrust.org. The lowest membership comes at $35 (with a free magnet!).

2. They are currently offering members to schedule tours for July and August (I believe). For the $35 membership, you are entitled to admission for two people. I'm going on July 17.

3. Find the place and go there for your scheduled 2 1/2 hour tour.

I think this place will be pretty cool.

lucky.

All you have to do is pay $35 and schedule a tour....

Right before they opened a few years ago they had an open house. We went and it wasn't finished and they hadn't added all the apes yet.

I've been waiting till my son turns 10 so we can go.

they wont allow you to have kids under 10 inside or you were just waiting to take him as a birthday surprise?

noel_nothing wrote:they wont allow you to have kids under 10 inside or you were just waiting to take him as a birthday surprise?

You have to be 10 or older to do the tour. At first they weren't going to allow any tours because of fears that it would disrupt the research. There is also a plan with a wall along one side of the property where you could sit and enter act with the apes, if they choose to do so. It's really cool but it isn't a zoo.

DaVo wrote:

noel_nothing wrote:enter act

-Joe.

forgive him joe. he knows not what he types.

Sweet. Do you know what exactly the tours entail?

Crumpty Williams wrote:Sweet. Do you know what exactly the tours entail?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XsREzc_WBY

Seriously though, it would be worth $35. One of the Bonobos is an a Peter Gabriel record. They can pick out simple melodies and harmonies on a keyboard.

Big Fat Retard wrote:

Crumpty Williams wrote:Sweet. Do you know what exactly the tours entail?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XsREzc_WBY

Seriously though, it would be worth $35. One of the Bonobos is an a Peter Gabriel record. They can pick out simple melodies and harmonies on a keyboard.

then why dont you take some lessons from one of them?

Crumpty Williams wrote:Sweet. Do you know what exactly the tours entail?

It looks like they're approximately 2 1/2 hours, so probably quite a bit.

BONOBO.




Just wanted to say the word. You don't often get the chance to utter it in context.

The rock star of the Bonobos http://www.greatapetrust.org/bonobo/meet/kanzi.php

Big Fat Retard wrote:

Crumpty Williams wrote:Sweet. Do you know what exactly the tours entail?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XsREzc_WBY

Seriously though, it would be worth $35. One of the Bonobos is an a Peter Gabriel record. They can pick out simple melodies and harmonies on a keyboard.

too bad peter gabrial can't! amirite?!
somebody hit that guy with a SLEDGEHAMMER!

I've been there a couple times for work. It is pretty cool, I was really impressed with how much these apes have learned and communicate. I'm not exactly sure what all the tour entails, but if I remember correctly, they have a seating area outside the main area where they keep kanzi and izzy or whichever ones are still alive, and one of the researchers will sit and talk about all they have done there, learned, studied, etc.. while the apes are behind them doing their thing. The other part of the tour I saw was inside where they have the apes doing the touch screen to get "treats." The computer will say something or show and object then the apes touch the corresponding object, then a treat shoots out, then they all wrestle each other to get the really good treats, but they seemed to leave the veggies and shit on the floor. Then one boy ape started humping the hell out of another boy ape, it was all pretty surreal. You realize how smart and advanced they are, but also just how primal and instinctive they still are. Have fun Rhino, I've actually thought alot about getting the membership to check it out for a little longer. I was only there about 30 minutes.