Blackpool Zoo has rehomed a group of rescued African spurred tortoises, several of them seized by UK customs from smugglers, in a converted shipping container.
Built by Universal Containers, the new habitat recreates the heat of the African Sahel with infrared heating, and includes a sealed wet-room floor and a glass viewing panel.
Engineered to last the animals' 70 to 100-year lifespan, it is the zoo's fourth container, which were selected because containers cost less than block construction, arrive in weeks, and require no planning permission.
Blackpool Zoo's new tortoise habitat recreates the heat of the African Sahel with infrared heatingImage courtesy of Blackpool Zoo
The decision to introduce shipping containers was made after Blackpool Zoo's project manager, Luke Forster, watched an episode of Grand Designs featuring the creative reuse of them.
"I love the irony of it. These animals were smuggled into the country as cargo, and now a converted shipping container is their home," said Forster.
"They have been with us for over 20 years, mostly out of sight. Now they are front and centre, we can share their story and what it tells us about the illegal trade they are still caught up in."
Blackpool Zoo has housed the tortoises for more than 20 years, and for most of that time, the animals lived in a wooden enclosure near the reception area, out of public view.
Creative reuse project
“It took an awful lot of persuasion to get our first container in place," said Forster. "The main concern was the zoo looking like a shipping yard. Once the first container was in, that was totally forgotten.”
He added: "Container builds are easy to do, and the lead time from order to delivery is really short.”
In more news, recent research from Blackpool Zoo and the University of Lancashire revealed that zoo visits can significantly improve guests' wellbeing, and strengthen their connection to nature.
