Denver Zoo Animals Give New Life To Old Fire Hoses
DENVER (CBS4)- Some of the animals at the Denver Zoo are giving new life to old fire hoses.
On Monday, firefighters from the Denver Fire Department and Arvada Fire Department delivered hundreds of feet of old fire hoses to the zoo. After years of use, it's normal to have some wear and tear with the hoses.
Rather than throw them away, the hoses are donated to the zoo.
With the help of some student volunteers, the zoo weaved the hoses into ladders, hammocks, feeders and toys for the animals.
The hoses can replace old ropes and less durable materials in the animal enclosures.
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Polar bears and giraffes use the hoses as toys and primates turn them into swings and ropes.
The zoo says it's a win-win situation, with animals benefiting from the hoses while keeping them out of landfills.
"The fire hoses are made out of cloth and they are rubber inside. So some of it is not very recyclable, so this is why we're doing it. Once we get it, we can actually keep it for a very long time, the animals don't really destroy it and then we can keep it and we can move it on to another animal," said Denver Zoo keeper Amanda Faliano.