MWS Weighing Solutions donates weighing scales to Port Lympne Reserve for their critically endangered black rhinos
MWS Weighing Solutions, the manufacturer of industrial weighing equipment, today announced they have donated three bespoke weighing scales to Port Lympne Reserve for the park’s resident rhinos.
Port Lympne Reserve is a 600 acre wild animal park located in Kent and home to a range of species including primates, black rhinos, big and small cats and many more. In addition to providing opportunities to the public to learn about these animals, Port Lympne Reserve, working with the conservation charity, The Aspinall Foundation, also operate successful breeding programs to introduce endangered animals back into the wild.
Port Lympne Reserve currently has 11 black rhinos, whilst sister park Howletts, near Canterbury, is home to a further three, taking the total across both parks to 14. The black rhinos are critically endangered, making the animals living at both sites important for the survival of the species. The rhinos, as with all animals at Port Lympne and Howletts, are looked after by a dedicated team of veterinarians and keepers who look after their health and wellbeing day in and day out. Part of this process involves weighing the animals on a regular basis to track their vitals and watch out for any fluctuations in weight, which could indicate something is wrong.
Port Lympne Reserve approached MWS to create a scale that would be sturdy enough to weigh the rhinos, but one that would fit easily into their existing daily routine without any disturbance. After a couple of on-site consultations, MWS designed a purpose-built, low profile and heavy duty fixed floor scale with side ramps to prevent the rhinos from getting their horns underneath it. The scales will be donated by MWS and manufactured in their factory in Leicester, and are capable of weighing accurately to 3 tonnes.
Andrew Clarke, Commercial Director, MWS Weighing Solutions, said, “MWS has over twenty years of experience in the manufacturing, food and pharmaceutical industries, and we are thrilled to now be working with animals as they present an entirely new challenge for us, but one we fully embrace. While we typically only work in the manufacturing and food industries, we knew we could design a system that was robust enough to withstand the weight and bashing from even the most unruly rhino. All of our scales are designed and manufactured to the highest standards and are built to last – which means Port Lympne can focus on looking after their animals rather than worrying about broken machinery.”
Andrew continued, “After witnessing the great work that Port Lympne Reserve do to educate people about wild animals and help reintroduce endangered species back into the wild, we felt compelled to donate the scales they needed to continue this great cause.”
Simon Jeffery, Animal Manager at Port Lympne Reserve, added, “It’s important for anyone looking after animals to ensure the health of those animals, and part of that includes tracking their weight which can be an indicator of the animal’s overall wellbeing. However, it’s not quite as straight forward as getting out a bathroom scale and asking the animal to step up, which is why we went to MWS to help create a scale that was easy to use and tough enough to take some heavy stomping.”
Simon continued, “We were delighted with the bespoke scales designed by MWS for our rhinos, and look forward to working with them for future weighing projects for our other animals.”
As part of the announcement and launch of the new luxury Treehouse Hotel at Port Lympne Reserve, Scalesmart, an MWS company, is holding a competition for a free, 2-night stay for four with access to both the reserve near Ashford and Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury. Additional information can be found here.