Good news on the lettuce front from the zoo's website:
Animal park makes plant history 28/09/2009
Television presenter John Craven, of BBC Countryfile, is to open an innovative new plant growing system at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park.
The VertiCrop sustainable hydroponics installation is the first of its kind in Europe and the first in a zoo or botanic garden anywhere in the world.
Guests from the UK, Canada and New Zealand will gather for the invitation-only opening at the Zoo on Wednesday 30th September.
The Zoo has teamed up with the developers of VertiCrop, Valcent Products (eu) ltd., based in Launceston, a company at the forefront of global efforts to find new ways of growing plants in a world of rapidly-diminishing resources.
Paignton Zoo Curator of Plants and Gardens Kevin Frediani said: “We are making history here. Installing VertiCrop at Paignton Zoo means we can grow more plants in less room using less water and less energy. It will help to reduce food miles and bring down our annual bill for animal feed, which is currently in excess of £200,000 a year.”
To begin with, the Zoo will grow a whole range of herbs such as parsley and oregano, as well as leaf vegetables like lettuce and spinach, plus a range of fruits such as cherry tomato and strawberry. Reptiles, birds and most of the mammal collection - including primates and big cats – will benefit from the production of year-round fresh food. Paignton Zoo animals crunch their way through about 800 carrots a day and approximately £8,000-worth of fruit per month. Herbs are used as enrichment for many species.
Chris Bradford, Managing Director of Valcent, explained: “The world population is growing, food supply is shrinking, water supplies are becoming more limited, food production is competing for land with housing and the production of fuel crops. We have to make better use of available land.
“VertiCrop is the latest in plant growing technology, meeting the needs of the human population while reducing the pressure to clear precious habitat to grow crops. This technology could usher in a new era of urban horticulture.”
A zoo seems an unlikely location for this ground-breaking project, but Kevin explained: “Valcent wanted to promote their technology to the public as well as to growers, and we have over half a million visitors a year. As a botanic garden, Paignton Zoo is keen to educate people about all aspects of horticulture, particularly new, environmentally-friendly inventions like this.”
VertiCrop is a commercial high-density vertical growing system which increases production volume for field crops up to 20 times over but requires as little as 5% of the normal water supply. It is a non-GM solution to food problems, using trays on a looped dynamic conveyor belt and automatic feeding stations to grow plants efficiently.
Copyright Paignton Zoo 2006
Moving them to Monkey Heights could, of course, be a temporary measure while a house is built for them near the gorillas. Time will tell!