Monkey World opened its doors in 1987 to home nine abused chimpanzees from Spain. Just three years later, the pavilions were built to house a further six rescued chimpanzees with the help of TV star Anneka Rice. The rescue centre is now home to 54 chimpanzees and over 200 other primates. At nearly 30 years old, the pavilions required refurbishment to expand and upgrade the accommodation in preparation for a new rescue. With this in mind, Monkey World turned to Knauf Insulation for help.
Charlie Crowther, spokesperson at Monkey World explained that as chimpanzees are native to Africa, they require additional heating to be comfortable in Dorset, UK. This means they need heated, indoor playrooms and bedrooms as an alternative to the outdoor space on cold or rainy days.
She said: “The gymnasium-sized playrooms are open from floor to rafters to allow the chimps to climb and there are tunnels to the external play-spaces accessed by large ‘cat flaps’. We work hard to avoid heat loss, and as a rescue centre who receive no outside funding, we needed to find ways to lower costs.”
Knauf Insulation was quick to swing into action, agreeing to donate a pallet of Earthwool Loft Roll 44 for phase one of the build. The insulation was transported to Monkey World free of charge by builders’ merchants Bradford’s Building Supplies, Blandford, Dorset.
Ian Boland, Area Sales Manager (South West) from Knauf Insulation said: “We were delighted to support Monkey World in their vital work. Earthwool Loft Roll is a high performance Glass Mineral Wool insulation, providing excellent thermal performance, which will help to keep the Pavilions warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather.”
Paul Webster, Bradfords Blandford Branch Manager added: “We were more than happy to help Monkey World with the supply of these products. Monkey World is a great local charity that does so much good and it’s great that we can help make a difference to the monkeys at the centre.”
The chimpanzee troop
As well as increasing Monkey World’s energy efficiency, Earthwool Loft Roll 44 is non-combustible and has the best possible Euroclass A1 Reaction to Fire classification.
The Pavilions renovation is being undertaken by Monkey World staff in two phases to allow the chimpanzees to live comfortably in one half while the other half is renovated. It was therefore important to ensure minimum disruption to animals and keepers alike during phase one.
Earthwool Loft Roll 44 is lightweight and has more insulation per roll than alternative loft rolls, minimising number of rolls required per project, reducing handling and increasing speed of install.
With phase one completed, the Pavilions has already doubled in size. Thanks to Knauf Insulation’s donation and Bradford’s Building Supplies free delivery, the extended bedrooms have allowed Monkey World’s latest rescue, Toprish, to be introduced to the community of 16 chimpanzees in comfort.
