The Islands, Chester Zoo

The Island zone provides homes for Sulawesi macaques, Sumatran orangutans, rhinoceros hornbills and Bali myna, with the enclosures providing a safe and secure environment for these endangered species. The design of each enclosure had to meet a number of specific requirements. Animal welfare was of course paramount, but the viewing experience for visitors and the overall aesthetic appearance were also key. Webnet fulfilled each of these criteria, the high strength, versatile system offering the ideal solution to meet the very different needs of each structure – from a tiger enclosure to a hornbill aviary. The strong stainless steel mesh is safe and at the same time virtually transparent consisting of 90 % air and 10 % steel.

Tailored solutions were developed for each habitat, with different designs and different apertures in the Webnet material selected to meet security, safety, welfare, aesthetic and viewing needs. Each enclosure and aviary was purpose-cut in the Jakob Rope Systems factory to meet the specific design. The interfaces between Webnet and other substrates were also very carefully considered, to ensure that the animals would not be able to find any weaknesses in the materials. The design and installation teams worked closely throughout the project, with each of the enclosures being completed on time and to programme, despite some particularly challenging weather conditions.