Hoist firm called in to give Blackpool Zoo elephants a lift at lunch time

Feeding time for the Blackpool Zoo elephants will never be the same after a Wirral firm was hired to mix things up.
By Tim Gavell
Published 20th Feb 2019, 08:28 BST
Updated 20th Feb 2019, 09:32 BST
A new quieter and automatic hoist system has been installed at Blackpool Zoo to make feeding time for the elephants a little more like life in the wildA new quieter and automatic hoist system has been installed at Blackpool Zoo to make feeding time for the elephants a little more like life in the wild
A new quieter and automatic hoist system has been installed at Blackpool Zoo to make feeding time for the elephants a little more like life in the wild

Industrial equipment supplier Hoist UK has provided an automated feeding solution for the Project Elephant Base Camp at Blackpool Zoo.

The new system is designed to automatically feed the elephants sporadically throughout the day, encouraging natural feeding behaviours.

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At the same time it is quieter than the last system as the elephants associated the noise of the hoist with food time and used to gather when they heard it start.

Adam Kenyon, Head of Elephants at Blackpool Zoo said: “By having a system like this, the elephants are stimulated, and it helps provide a more natural feeding pattern for them.

"We can’t provide the wild in its exact form, but with this system we can provide the means to encourage their natural behaviours, as we strive for optimal welfare standards.”

James Jordan director of Hoist UK: “We’re very proud to provide be of assistance to the exciting Project elephant - Base Camp at Blackpool Zoo.

"This was a very unusual challenge and I’m pleased our team were able to help solve this unique problem for these endangered animals”