Ballan CFA donated more than 500 metres of hose to be used in the new gorilla enclosure for Yakini, Ganyeka and their father Motaba.
Werribee’s Gorilla Keeper Kat Thompson said the hoses were ideal for the animals because they were tough and could withstand the weight of the gorillas during their exercise.
“Our heaviest gorilla is just over 160 kilograms but they have the potential to get bigger. The hoses are used for exercise and enrichment – they run through them, lift themselves up, dance on them and spin around in circles,” Ms Thompson said.
The hoses are used in the public enclosure to tie down their food troughs and also behind the scenes where the gorillas play and sleep out of the public eye.
Various lengths of the hoses hang from the ceiling with toys attached. They also line pieces of canvas to make sturdy hammocks.
“It will also be used as insulation in winter and put over the doors to stop the cold air coming in. It’s really durable and soft for their hands. We don’t have to worry about lose fibres coming off," Ms Thompson said.
“There’s nothing as good or as easy to use like the hoses, unlike rope we don’t have to worry about plaiting it, we just put a hole in there and a D shackle and it’s done.”
The zoo has some volunteers coming in to make hammocks for the gorillas by weaving the fire hoses together. Ms Thompson said they would also use them to tie together and hide food in.
Ballan Catchment Officer Archie Conroy said a CFA member associated with the zoo had approached him about what CFA does with old hoses, before donating them to the zoo.
“The old hoses got sent off to be tested and if they came back unusable we stored them until we had a decent amount to give to the zoo,” Mr Conroy said.
He said it’s something they’d like to continue doing when they can.
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