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Temperate and Tropical Forest Habitats
Recreated in Forests Biome and Commons Area
 Bamboo and other plants transform a winding trail in the Indianapolis cityscape into a dense forest experience. Water is prevalent throughout the biome, and on a humid 90-plus degree-day, a red panda might take it easy lolling about in the treetops. Temperate and tropical forests of the world are represented in the Forests Biome. As the world's forests are utilized to meet the increasing demand for paper products, fuel, agriculture, building materials, furniture and urban expansion, forest-dwelling animals are losing their habitats. To maintain healthy captive populations, many animals in the Forests Biome are part of managed breeding programs such as the Species Survival Plan® (SSP).
 The SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for selected species, generally threatened or endangered, in zoos and aquariums in North America. By tracking genealogy of animals through “studbooks,” institutions regulate breeding and maintain a genetically diverse population in human care. These animals retain important characteristics they would need should it ever become possible to return them to the wild.
 Nationally known for her knowledge of the ring-tailed lemur, Forests Curator Lynne Villers coordinates the SSP for this species and maintains its studbook. A studbook is a record of each individual animal and its family history that is used to make informed breeding and animal management decisions. Other SSP animals in the Forests Biome include Amur (Siberian) tigers, white-handed gibbons and red pandas.
Breeding Rare Animals
The Indianapolis Zoo has been very successful in breeding the rare Amur tiger over a period of many years. Most recently, the Zoo was privileged to have Amur tiger cubs born in late 1998, three more cubs born in late summer 2000, and two more cubs in 2003 that add to the total of this most endangered tiger sub-species.
More Animals
Directly across from the tiger exhibit, Zoo visitors will encounter white-handed gibbons and Asian small-clawed otters. Click here for more information on Asian small-clawed otters. In the Commons area in the middle of Zoo grounds, they will encounter another endangered animal – lemurs, a prosimian species from Madagascar. The Zoo exhibits ring-tailed and crowned lemurs in combination with Chilean flamingos on an island near the Café on the Commons. A lemur exhibit featuring red-ruffed lemurs and blue-eyed black lemurs is located across from the Dolphin Pavilion. The Zoo is very involved in research and conservation of these endangered primates through Project Lemur – an effort to work toward eventual re-introduction of ring-tailed lemurs born in human care back into their native habitats.
Animals on Exhibit
Bear exhibit: Alaskan brown bear
Tiger exhibit: Amur tigers, cubs when applicable
Red panda/muntjac exhibit: Red pandas; Reeves' muntjacs
Gibbon/Otter exhibit: Asian small-clawed otters, White-handed gibbons, green peafowl
Aviary - American bald eagle, turkey vulture, ravens
Commons
Lemur/Flamingo exhibit: Ring-tailed lemurs, crowned lemurs, red-ruffed lemurs, blue-eyed black lemurs, Chilean flamingos
Notable Plants on Exhibit
Vernal witchhazel, sassafras, yellow-groove bamboo, spicebush, katsuratree, bottlebrush buckeye, lacebark pine, columbine, maidenhair fern, and winterberry.
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