Maintenance Division
The entire layout of the North East section of the Zoo has undergone a major transformation. With the assistance of architects, landscapers, and Zoo maintenance staff, the area was redesigned with lawns, shrubberies, brick paving, and ornamental rock work. An old monkey cage was demolished, and a duck pond has been extended to the other side of a new curved brick pathway that crosses the pond via a hump-backed bridge, constructed in the Zoo’s workshops. To build the new Lakeside Centre it was necessary to remove a group of effluent settling pits associated with the hippopotamus pools and install an alternative method of disposal. This was achieved by using a vibrating screen over a concrete trough. The contents of the hippopotamus pools are pumped on to the screen and all fibrous material is vibrated along the screen into a trailer, while the water precipitates into the trough.
To accommodate “Bong-Su”, the young male elephant which arrived recently, it was necessary to prepare a quarantine area for him to occupy. A ceiling and heaters were installed in his sleeping quarters, and he was given a post and rail exercise yard which he playfully demolishes as quick as it is repaired.
New temporary winter quarters were built for the four giant tortoises, which the public can view through glass angled to avoid reflection. The unit is heated by under-floor electrical elements which are thermostatically controlled.
Several old enclosures containing dogs were extensively modified in order to house primates. The dogs were transferred to large planted enclosures each measuring approximately 200 square metres.
Thermostatically controlled heating was also installed for the nesting areas of the cassowaries to provide more natural hatching temperatures.
The aardvarks went on display this year in a temporary enclosure which featured three-sided sleeping quarters complete with a heated floor. The fourth side of the sleeping area is open and faces the public.
A new enclosure for the display of marmosets has become one of the Zoo’s most interesting exhibits. The front is covered with 4 mm x 4 mm weld mesh with a back-drop of asbestos cement sheeting and split pine logs.
Among the many other items on this year’s maintenance programme were the lining of the “HELP” Classroom with caneite wall board and the installation of a pergola at the front of the classroom. (“HELP” stands for Handicapped Children’s Environmental Learning Project).
Six rabbit hutches were made for the Education Department and four hundred boxes were made for the transport of animals.
The glass viewing wall of the new otter enclosure was raised and a stone wall backdrop to it was erected. The bison yard was provided with new fences and gates, and a concrete floor, new walls and roof were fitted to a quarantine shed at the Bird Department.
The steel building containing catering and souvenirs stock was removed from the North East sector and re-erected as an extension to workshops. This extra room was badly needed and provides another 100 square metres of floor space.