Today in Smithsonian History: April 1, 1983

Monkey Island, 1986. (Photo by Jessie Cohen, as featured in the Torch, October 1989)

April 1, 1983 Monkey Island opens at the National Zoo. A new exhibit for primates consisting of a 25-foot-high bluff of natural stone bordered on three sides by water and landscaped with pine trees and aquatic plants, Monkey Island is home to a troupe of Barbary macaques, Oriental short-clawed otters and several types of fish. Multi-species enclosures give the animals a more natural setting and allow the zoo visitor to see how different animals co-exist in the same habitat.

Related posts:

Go Gold! Week Five Results Our Smithsonian: Backyard archaeology Raven and the Box of Daylight ICYMI: Highlights from the week that was Oct. 7 – Oct. 13, 2018