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Project to keep Honey Badger happy

PARKWOOD - Students joined hands to help the Johannesburg Zoo to improve the quality of life for their mascot Honey Badger, affectionately named "BG".

Six veterinary students from the University of Pretoria and five engineering students from the Hatfield campus collaborated to upgrade the badger’s enclosure.

A student Candice Boreham said, “The main goal was to enrich and refurbish his enclosure to curb his destructive behaviour, and to provide an aesthetically pleasing enclosure for the public.”

“BG” was hand-reared at the zoo and is used to plenty of stimulation and attention.

A recent behavioural study on the Honey Badger’s destructive behaviour in his enclosure left his caretakers pondering if a little environmental enrichment could brighten up his days.

Boreham said, “Our group made contact with the zoo and proposed a plan to upgrade his enclosure. “BG” is a very active boy and he utilises every available inch of his enclosure. As the enclosure offered limited space, we had to get creative to

make his life a little more interesting.”

The team completed a new double-storey, wooden platform complete with ladders, a hammock, climbing ropes and a tyre swing, as well as new rock feature and a swimming pool. A magnificent new 6-tyre jungle-gym ladder, a second tyre swing

and some half-tyres mounted to his night room walls were added for his evening entertainment. To finish it off, the enclosure fence was tidied up and all of “BG’s” holes were filled in with fresh sand.

Mica Morningside hardware and Edenvale Supa Quick donated the building materials and tyres for the project.

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