Monkey Business

We here at Blue Crab Boulevard are very sorry to have to report that the folks running the Los Angeles Animal penitentiary (called a "zoo" by people who don't understand the actual nature of the facilities) have gone over to the Animal Uprising™. In a big, but well designed way, too. They have perfected monkey feng shui.

Consulting the feng shui expert was part of the cost for a $7.4 million enclosure for the golden monkeys debuting at the zoo later his year. Feng shui focuses on balance in design to promote health and happiness.

Feng shui is in demand among high-end architects and interior designers, but Beverly Hills-based feng shui expert Simona Mainini said the Los Angeles Zoo's effort may be a first in animal enclosure design.

"It's very experimental," Mainini said. "We don't have any books on feng shui for monkeys. We just have to assume that Darwin is correct and that there is a connection and what is good for humans is good for monkeys."

The exhibit for the male and two female golden monkeys is nearing completion and they are expected to arrive by the end of the year, once China approves the export permit.

Exhibit designers from the Seattle-based Portico Group said the enclosure was designed to re-create the feel of a rural Chinese village.

We'd just like to point out that the folks living in the real rural Chinese villages prefer the monkeys go elsewhere, good design or not. Monkeys are messy by nature and leave bits of feng all over the place.