Around 500m of old hosing has been handed over to keepers in charge of the great ape house at Twycross Zoo, just a short journey down the M42 from East Midlands Airport (EMA).
The material is strong and flexible, making it ideal to be turned into hammocks, swings and even balls to hide food inside for the zoo's primates, including the recently born François' langur monkeys and the four great apes – gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans.
This is the first time EMA has donated spare hoses to the zoo, after watch manager Lee Bowyer contacted Twycross to enquire whether the equipment could be reused rather than going to landfill. It is hoped that cargo netting and straps to fasten items to vehicles could be among other contenders to make the move from the airfield to the ape house as they wear out.
Martin Lindsey, head of fire and rescue at EMA, said: “We had around 18 lengths of hosing, each up to 30m long, that were beyond use. I would never have dreamt that they could end up being put to good use by gorillas, chimps and orangutans.
“We were absolutely delighted to hand them over to Twycross Zoo and while it's the first time we've done this, it won't be the last.”
