Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
- Acromyrmexbob
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Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
I was recently asked to install a colony of Atta cephalotes in the elephant house of Blair Drummond Safari Park which was nice becaue, unusually for me, they are only 20 minutes away from where I live. I spend a great deal of time away from home setting up Leaf Cutting Displays.
When the elephants are inside the house its fine for the visitors but when they are out, which is most of the summer, there is nothing for them to see. Hence the Leaf Cutters.
The building is massive but the public access area is raised high above the elephant area and has lots of viewing windows.
The end wall is where we will put the nest.
The nest area has been designed a little differently from our usual set ups. The ants will live in a series of smaller chambers housed inside a larger environmentally controlled tank as shown below.....
The windows (I think there are 16 of them!!) will have a 30m rope walk way suspended on the opposite side to where the public are. This will loop down at each window ......
And at the other end there will be a feeding table....
This display will prove, I think, that Leaf Cutters can stand up against any other exhibit, even one as large as elephants. I feel confident that peoples time will be spent more watching the ants that the elephants, even if the elephants are indoors. This is important because, in terms of spend, the zoo has only paid a fraction of the cost that the elephant exhibit cost, both to set up and run, but they are gaining much more benefit from having the ants.
I will update here as the job progresses.
When the elephants are inside the house its fine for the visitors but when they are out, which is most of the summer, there is nothing for them to see. Hence the Leaf Cutters.
The building is massive but the public access area is raised high above the elephant area and has lots of viewing windows.
The end wall is where we will put the nest.
The nest area has been designed a little differently from our usual set ups. The ants will live in a series of smaller chambers housed inside a larger environmentally controlled tank as shown below.....
The windows (I think there are 16 of them!!) will have a 30m rope walk way suspended on the opposite side to where the public are. This will loop down at each window ......
And at the other end there will be a feeding table....
This display will prove, I think, that Leaf Cutters can stand up against any other exhibit, even one as large as elephants. I feel confident that peoples time will be spent more watching the ants that the elephants, even if the elephants are indoors. This is important because, in terms of spend, the zoo has only paid a fraction of the cost that the elephant exhibit cost, both to set up and run, but they are gaining much more benefit from having the ants.
I will update here as the job progresses.
- Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
So to start with we built 12 small tanks, 30cmx20cmx20cm and poured around 3cm of plaster in the base.
The, to start to build the base unit and the nest tank we used cls timber and safetly glass...
Then we cut the hole in the other end and built the base and the feeding tank.
Meantime, one of the guys risked life and limb going into the elephant enclosure to start hanging the rope walkway...
More developments shortly.
The, to start to build the base unit and the nest tank we used cls timber and safetly glass...
Then we cut the hole in the other end and built the base and the feeding tank.
Meantime, one of the guys risked life and limb going into the elephant enclosure to start hanging the rope walkway...
More developments shortly.
- Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
So we had to burn the rope because most rope this thick is also very hairy and this stops the ants foraging properly. Using a blow torch and passing it over the rope means all these hairs disappear.
(As you can see from this photo, this guy has had his name written on his arm so he does not forget it!)
Its a problem when you have a rope meet a pipe because the ants will simply go on the outside of the pipe and escape. If you pup slippy stuff on the outside they will fall off, thus indirectly escape also. Solution: rope moat!!
Ants are prevented from escaping by a small water filled container through which the pipe passes. And then the rope can loop from window to window along to the feeding table
More tomorrow.
(As you can see from this photo, this guy has had his name written on his arm so he does not forget it!)
Its a problem when you have a rope meet a pipe because the ants will simply go on the outside of the pipe and escape. If you pup slippy stuff on the outside they will fall off, thus indirectly escape also. Solution: rope moat!!
Ants are prevented from escaping by a small water filled container through which the pipe passes. And then the rope can loop from window to window along to the feeding table
More tomorrow.
- Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
Yes I will consider oil. The tubs can easily be accessed but the staff will forget and they will end up eating an elephant!
The rope is held up by very high break strain fishing line which the ants don't normally climb.
The pipes will have small branches through them so the ants can walk up the vertical pipes.
So the nest tank is progressing now towards the theming. We are putting the wooden framing and the mesh on ion preparation for the rockwork.
The feeding table is built....
and the frame around the hole in the wall is put in place...
and finally it is painted so the public cannot see through to the other side...
The rope is held up by very high break strain fishing line which the ants don't normally climb.
The pipes will have small branches through them so the ants can walk up the vertical pipes.
So the nest tank is progressing now towards the theming. We are putting the wooden framing and the mesh on ion preparation for the rockwork.
The feeding table is built....
and the frame around the hole in the wall is put in place...
and finally it is painted so the public cannot see through to the other side...
- Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
Today the rockwork was applied to the nest area. This is, as anyone who has followed my posts on RFUK knows, a concrete mix, which is coloured before application.
still to colour it with the effects but I think we will do that after the artist has been in. He will paint a huge rainforest mural on the end wall. The guy we use is a graffiti artist so everyone has to hide their cars when he is around in case he tags them!
still to colour it with the effects but I think we will do that after the artist has been in. He will paint a huge rainforest mural on the end wall. The guy we use is a graffiti artist so everyone has to hide their cars when he is around in case he tags them!
- Acromyrmexbob
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- Acromyrmexbob
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- Deansie26
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
Fantastic, Luckily only 40 mins away for me also so kids trip will be getting booked in lol.
I mind you saying before but will the nest boxes be filled with soil and have you done this type of set up before? (multiple small tanks)
Also do you find the ants can scale the inner plastic pipe ok?
I had issues with bigger ants carrying larger fragments so changed the vertical pipes and made them short as I could they scarified/ scratched them up to give grip.
Fungus looks amazing! Is that vermiculite in the soil?
I mind you saying before but will the nest boxes be filled with soil and have you done this type of set up before? (multiple small tanks)
Also do you find the ants can scale the inner plastic pipe ok?
I had issues with bigger ants carrying larger fragments so changed the vertical pipes and made them short as I could they scarified/ scratched them up to give grip.
Fungus looks amazing! Is that vermiculite in the soil?
- Hisserdude
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
Man I love this display, too bad I don't live anywhere near it.
- Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Commercial Set Up at Safari Park
Where are you based? I probably either have a colony set up near you are are due to do one. Every man and their dog are wanting set ups just now!