Challenge

Chester Zoo, the UK’s number one zoo and leading charity for wildlife conservation, was the first of its kind over 80 years ago not to use bars to house its animals. Today it keeps 11,000 animals inside its huge 110-acre site. 

Solution

CLD Fencing's Exampla™ system is helping the zoo to keep in line with the ‘no bars’ tradition by providing rigid mesh fencing which ensures the safety of animals, keepers and visitors alike.

The Exampla™ system features a rigid welded steel wire mesh panel with a full length clamp bar to ease installation and increase security.

Stone Fence™ decorative walling was supplied for the entrance system.

This project is ongoing as of April 2014.

Outcome

Dave Rogers, Estates Manager at Chester Zoo explains: "The first project we completed with CLD Fencing was around the cheetah enclosure, and parts of the perimeter fencing where the zoo is separated in two by a road. We used CLD Fencing’s Exampla™ system, an innovative close-mesh segregated and crank top fencing, a standard that most zoos in the UK use to ensure complete security."

Rogers continues, "The cheetah enclosure originally housed onagers, so it was important that we stepped up the security as different animals have different requirements. CLD Fencing provided the fencing to keep the animals safe, and mesh enclosures with trap doors for the keepers so that the cheetahs can’t get in. It ensures both animals and staff are kept safe.

"Since then, CLD Fencing has provided us with a variety of solutions around the zoo to make the premises more robust, from an automatic trial gate system for the public, to a new entrance scheme which was opened by Her Majesty The Queen.

"The fencing for the entrance scheme was completed in a very tight timescale to make it ready for Her Majesty’s visit. The scheme houses the zoo shop, memberships and adoptions office, and ticket booths with a modern and robust Stone Fence™ system. We decided straight away that the stone fencing was the most suitable as it fitted the look and feel of what we were trying to achieve with this new scheme."