The Fenn Bell Conservation Project

St. Mary’s Hoo, Rochester, Kent.

Project Brief:

This was a labour of love, literally, for the AquaNeo team. As the zoo is a very special and unique place that both Marc and Dave have known throughout their lives and they were only too pleased to help the zoo, who are the proud owners of the first zoo licence in Medway; in any way that they possibly could.

The help that Fenn Bell required was for a rather exotic member of the zoo’s family, called a Binturong or bear cat. In the wild they live in the deep forest canopy but also love to swim and it was the lack of a clean and safe water feature that was desperately needed. The existing water supply was unreliable and would often become an unsightly mud filled pool, unloved by the furry residents and visitors alike.

 Method:

During a time when the zoo was closed to the public due to COVID-19 restrictions, the AquaNeo team met the keepers at Fenn Bell to discuss and plan the designs for a new water feature. From an agreed design, Marc and Dave carried out the necessary groundwork, water feature build and water pump installation. Everything was tested and the water quality was meticulously tested to meet the zoos stringent animal welfare standards, before the whole enclosure was renovated and re-occupied by the Binturong in April 2020.

Result:

The result was instant! Two very happy Binturong enjoying a wonderful new water feature that is supplied with constant clean and fresh water.

The team at Fenn Bell zoo are really pleased as they now have an enclosure that is a safe and enriching environment that reflects the zoos ethos on animal welfare.

As all the team at AquaNeo are passionate about animal welfare and conservation, they were happy to donate all the labour, design and installation time; as well as all the equipment and build materials for the project - free of charge.