FORBO FLOCKS TO THE ZOO
When the latest arrivals to Chester Zoo required a floorcovering for their enclosure that would be hygienic, comfortable underfoot and easy to clean, Forbo Flooring Systems came to the rescue.
With lots of fluffy feathers, long pink legs and sensitive feet, Chester Zoo’s 21 Caribbean flamingo chicks hatched from their shells at the end of June. The youngsters need to be hand reared by the zookeepers until they are old enough to be transported to form part of another important breeding colony, outside of the zoological park.
Mark Vercoe, Assistant Curator of Birds, said: “Hand-rearing young flamingo chicks is a really
intricate and demanding challenge, as they are required to be fed four times a day at regular intervals and need special attention until they are around three months old.
“The chicks were placed in a specially created enclosure in a quiet and tranquil part of the zoo. We needed a floorcovering that would be kind to the chicks’ feet - as they are very sensitive and can get sores easily – and would also be easy to clean. After searching the internet, we came across Forbo’s Flotex flocked flooring, which ticked all of the boxes in terms of performance – and with a name that included the word ‘flock’ we knew we had to have it; we’re delighted with our choice.”
Usually, Forbo’s Flotex flocked flooring range is installed in commercial interiors, such as hotels, gyms and schools, so the manufacturer was surprised to get the call from Chester Zoo, but it of course, was more than happy to help and support the development of the flamingo chicks. As such, Forbo supplied Chester Zoo with the floorcovering for its specially created enclosure.
The unique construction of Flotex combines the warmth, acoustics and underfoot comfort of a textile with the durability and cleaning properties of a resilient flooring – making it ideal.
With 70million fibres per square metre, Flotex has a highly dense surface pile, which reduces the potential for soiling deposits. The upright fibres and impermeable PVC backing means that the fibres can be cleaned right down to the base. Dry soiling is also easily removed using an upright vacuum cleaner, while tougher stains and dirt can be removed with
10 |
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.com
standard carpet cleaning machinery, as Clare Wylie and Wayne Mcleod, the keeper and team manager caring for the chicks found out: “We couldn’t believe how easy it was to clean – and it dried quickly, which meant we could get the chicks back on it in no time,” says Clare.
Mark continued: “The fact that Clare and Wayne do not have to spend a lot of time cleaning the new floorcovering means that they are able to spend more time with the chicks and provide them with the attention they need.
“We think Flotex is absolutely superb, it was exactly what we needed and have been telling all our colleagues and partner zoos about it since, so I can imagine we’ll be installing more of it behind the scenes at the zoo in the future.”
www.forbo-flooring.co.uk/artofflocking www.chesterzoo.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
