We were pleased to be contacted recently by The Big Cat Sanctuary charity to provide hygienic wall cladding installation during the renovation of their white lion enclosure. Although named as White Lion Enclosure, it is actually home to more than white Lions!
There are three distinct areas within the enclosure: the white lion den, the on-show den and the Ukrainian Lioness Yuan’s den.
Lioness Yuna, who is approximately three years old, was discovered by military volunteers in February 2023. She had been living in a house under poor conditions, along with a young male lion. The two lions shared a 3×4 metre enclosure with nothing but a bare concrete floor.
Now, Yuna is successfully readjusting to the more comfortable and suitable surrounds of her den at the Sanctuary.
About the Big Cat Sanctuary
The Big Cat Sanctuary is a UK-certified animal charity dedicated to advancing global conservation efforts.
The sanctuary currently houses approximately 40 large cats representing 11 distinct species, many of which are classified as highly endangered on the IUCN Red List.
As part of their overarching mission, the sanctuary aims to offer tranquillity and tailored environments suitable for various cat species, ensuring an optimal quality of life in captivity.
In line with their commitment to providing the best possible environments for the big cats, the white lion indoor enclosure was identified as needing renovation, including the addition of hygienic wall surfaces.
Hygienic Cladding Installation for the Indoor Enclosure
The white lions’ large indoor enclosure is a 20m x 8m room consisting of five lion dens and a keeper’s corridor. The lower level of the room featured ply walls with an angled top, which required a robust, cleanable, hygienic cladding system to meet the sanctuary’s high standards.
For this project, we supplied and installed BioClad Hygienic Cladding, designed specifically for environments demanding superior hygiene and regular maintenance. The hygienic cladding installation process included the following steps:
- Surface Preparation: Application of primer and tapes to the surfaces designated to receive cladding, ensuring optimal adhesion and a smooth finish.
- Sheet Installation: Each BioClad sheet was carefully cut to size and thermoformed, with joints hot-welded and colour-matched silicone applied where necessary to ensure a seamless, durable finish.
- Finishing: Joint trims were also installed at the base of each sheet to complete the installation.
The chosen cladding colour, Pastel Fawn, was selected to create a natural, off-white ambient shade that would be non-intrusive for the lions, promoting a calm and comfortable environment.
As part of the indoor enclosure works, we coordinated with other trades involved in the project. It was essential to adhere to the precise dimensions and datums. Other trades involved in the project provided the installation of big cat fences and impact-resistant flooring.
Attention to Detail – Wet Room Facility
Onsite, our cladding technicians faced the challenge of carefully forming the sheets to fit the profile of each RSJ, sealing around the joints with silicone to ensure a watertight finish. Additionally, we covered and capped the ply boxings with a layer of cladding. This effectively created a “wet room” detail at mid-level on the wall. This design allows the surfaces to be easily hosed down and cleaned by the keepers, maintaining a high level of hygiene within the enclosure.
All newly installed surfaces were designed and finished with the intention of making the walls easily cleanable and effectively detailed as a wet room.
Project Special Considerations
Given that we were working in a highly sensitive area housing dangerous animals, strict safety precautions were naturally required, and we needed to work as efficiently as possible.
During the initial contract discussions, we were asked to complete all the works within a tight one-week timescale.
Additionally, we had to keep noise and disruption to an absolute minimum to avoid distressing the big cats. As this sanctuary is a leading conservation facility for big cat protection and breeding programmes, this was a particularly critical aspect of our work.
We are pleased to report that the project was delivered on time, within budget, and without any issues with the resident big cats. This project exemplifies how versatile hygienic wall cladding can be and how the Goss team can adjust our working processes to accommodate even the most unusual requests.
If you have a new project and would like to discuss your options for the installation of hygienic wall cladding, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to assist.
