Animals at Bristol Zoo are in for a treat next week as a top chef visits the Zoo to prepare their meals.
The Zoo has teamed up with River Cottage Canteen Bristol to launch a new campaign to promote the use of responsibly-sourced wood and paper products, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC-UK).
River Cottage Canteen’s executive chef, Andrew Green, will be at the Zoo on Tuesday, May 27th to prepare delicious, fresh seasonal lunches for both the lemurs and gorillas, using FSC certified utensils.
Visitors to the Zoo will be able to see Andrew preparing the animals’ lunches at a newly-installed FSC-certified kitchen opposite Gorilla Island next Tuesday from 11am. The purpose-built kitchen is made using FSC-certified materials, and has been donated by local, ethical business Howdens Joinery.
Andrew will then give the lemurs their special lunch in the lemur walkthrough and help with the gorilla feeding time at 12.30pm.
Andrew explains: “We are extremely excited to be serving a different type of clientele. As all our guests love our ‘canteen slaw’, a River Cottage twist on coleslaw, we’re creating a special version for the lemurs as well as preparing a special, healthy vegetable dinner for the gorillas.”
He added: “Our strong sustainability ethos is perfectly paired with Bristol Zoo’s campaign and by working together throughout the year, including on the launch of the new FSC kitchen, we hope to highlight the hard work done by Bristol Zoo along with our own message of responsibly sourcing local, seasonal, organic and wild food.”
Bristol Zoo hopes its summer campaign will encourage visitors to purchase FSC-certified products with a focus on kitchen items, as Simon Garrett, Head of Learning, explains: “We wanted to run a campaign to encourage wildlife-friendly behaviours. Unsustainable wood extraction is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity worldwide, linked to habitat destruction in forests, where species such as the western lowland gorilla live.
Every year Bristol Zoo gets involved in campaigns that highlight important conservation issues. All these campaigns give visitors the chance to take part. Simon continued: “Our research showed that around half of kitchen roll products available in leading UK supermarkets are not FSC-certified. The FSC logo can be found on anything from kitchen units and dining tables to your cork coasters and food packaging, so we felt the kitchen theme would be something that people could relate to.”
The FSC certification system offers consumers the ability to identify, purchase and use wood products that have been sourced from well-managed forests.
Between May and September of this year, visitors to Bristol Zoo can enjoy fun activities, such as an FSC shopping challenge in the Zoo’s own ‘Zoopermarket’. There will be a number of FSC and gorilla themed games in the new FSC kitchen opposite Gorilla Island.
All activities focus on encouraging visitors to recognise the FSC logo in the hope that they will continue this action when shopping to ensure their wood-derived products are responsibly sourced, thus conserving animals that rely on forest ecosystems.
Bristol Zoo’s mission is to save wildlife through conservation action and engaging people with the natural world. For more information about the campaign, visit www.bristolzoo.org.uk/fsc-summer-campaign.
For more information about the Forest Stewardship Council, visit www.fsc-uk.org.