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Go ape in Wildwalk this Autumn
5 December 2005
This Autumn Wildwalk At-Bristol’s Live Science zone will be a hive of
ape-themed activity with the stunning new interactive touring exhibition
Great apes – How great are you?
Split into four main themes, you will be taken on an interactive,
thought-provoking journey through ape species, behaviour, current threats
and conservation initiatives.
You can go bananas on a fun mix of hands-on exhibits, multimedia displays
and play areas to discover how similar we are to our ape relatives. From
trying your hand at knuckle walking to seeing where you stand on the ape
height chart or hanging tight on the monkey bars, there’s a whole host of
ape activities to explore.
Great apes – How great are you? has been created by At-Bristol in conjunction with
GRASP (UNEP/UNESCO’s Great Apes Survival Project). The exhibition is
supported by the ReDiscover fund, an initiative set-up by the Millennium
Commission, the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation to help science
centres renew and refresh their exhibitions.
Did you know we share more than 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees and
bonobos? You can explore just how closely we are related to the other apes
in the Meet the Family section where you’ll be greeted by the hoots and
calls of our ape cousins. A portrait gallery introduces each member of the
family and you can even put yourself in the frame by looking in the mirror
and completing the fifth and final member of the great ape family -
humans. Using the interactive map, you can also find out where all the ape
species live, catch some ape-antics on the video screen and handle
incredible replica skulls and bronze casts.
In Great minds think alike, the intricate behaviours, emotions and social
structures of apes come under the spotlight. Play the facial expressions
game and get to grips with ape communication or see what your face would
look like as an orangutan or gorilla by using the amazing photo-morphing
machine! The similarities between humans and the rest of the ape family
are incredible, even down to the practicalities of tool making. Take on
the termite fishing challenge and learn how apes sculpt tools out of
sticks to probe for food, a skill that’s much harder than it seems!
But the fun doesn’t end there, apes like humans are social creatures who
love to play and interact with one another. In Let’s go ape! you can
discover what life is like in an ape’s playground and from chest beating
to crazy climbing, there’s plenty to get stuck into. Younger children can
even have a go at treetop nest building using giant foam leaves and
branches!
The focus moves from play to plight in One minute to midnight, an area
dedicated to the threats the other great apes face as humans continue to
drive them into extinction. See how life will pan out for our relatives if
the devastating effects of the bushmeat trade and hunting, logging and
deforestation, mining, agriculture and war carry on.
Having explored the amazing characteristics and fragile future of the
great apes, you can then pick up top tips on how to get involved in
conserving these incredible species in What you can do… Find out about the
fantastic fieldwork leading primatologists are undertaking and browse the
Ape-net to get up to the minute information from the organisations devoted
to ape conservation. Finally why not end your trip by testing your
newfound ape knowledge on the fun-filled interactive quiz stations? You’ll
go ape if you don’t try it!
Great apes – How great are you? opens on 5 December and will run until
April 2006. The exhibition is suitable for all ages and is free with a
ticket to Wildwalk. For more information please call 0845 3451235.
To contact the At-Bristol Press Office, please call Annabel Iles:
Tel: 0117 915 7152, fax: 0117 915 7200 or email
annabel.iles@at-bristol.org.uk
Note to Editors:
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At-Bristol, a registered
charity, has won 13 awards since opening in 2000 including the Good
Britain Guide 2001’s ‘Family Attraction of the Year’ and ‘Large Attraction
of the Year’ in the England in Excellence Awards South West. It consists
of three attractions:
Explore-At-Bristol - a hands-on science centre, IMAX® Theatre-At-Bristol
- the largest cinema screen in the west of England and Wildwalk-At-Bristol
- a journey from the origins of life to the ends of the Earth.
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It is a Landmark
Millennium Attraction whose principal partners include the Millennium
Commission (£44.3 million), the South West of England Regional Development
Agency (£17.1 million) and Bristol City Council (£15.7 million).
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