When Chester Zoo’s latest arrivals required a floorcovering for their enclosure that would be hygienic, comfortable underfoot and easy to clean, Forbo Flooring Systems came to the rescue.
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.
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.”
