The walls and floors of the new rhino sanctuary were given protective and non-slip qualities through the donation and application of a.b.e.®’s VIP Polyurea Quick Spray Industrial protective coating.
a.b.e.® has made a major donation of company products for a new rhino sanctuary established at the Thula Thula Game Reserve in KZN.
a.b.e.® is part of the Chryso Southern Africa Group.
Noel Abendroth, a.b.e.® Division Manager: VIP Polyurea Systems, says the company has donated VIP Polyurea protective coatings to cover 120 square metres of wall and floor areas of the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation’s new baby rhino sanctuary. The rehabilitation centre was officially opened at the end of November 2014 and will cater for some of the many young KZN rhinos now orphaned by the high rate of poaching all over southern Africa. The rhino calves will receive specialised, labour-intensive care at the sanctuary before being returned to the bush.
Abendroth said the VIP Polyurea Quick Spray Industrial protective coating was applied – also as a conated service – by Bloc Specialist Applicators, an a.b.e.®-approved Polyurea applicator.
The fact that rhinos – even juveniles – are extremely heavy and robust animals, with exceptionally acidic urine, called for a protective coating with special properties to resist chemical attack, abrasion, impact, and punctures. Produced in Munich, VIP membranes are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and have been hailed globally for setting new benchmarks in terms of durability, protection, ease of application, and turnaround times. “VIP Polyurea’s two-part polymers cure in seconds to form a seamless, rubber-like skin that insulates and, in the case of the rhino sanctuary, provides non-slip floor surfaces,” Abendroth explained.
Peter Jones, a.b.e.®’s National Sales Manager: Flooring, says a.b.e.® also donated sufficient quantities of its new abecote Tough Polyurethane Paint to cover 160 square metres of the exterior walls, as well as interior laboratory walls and floors, of the sanctuary. The paint, supplied in suitable ‘Havana Beige’ earth-toned colour, was applied by the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation itself.
Launched recently, abecote Tough Polyurethane Paint is a single component waterborne Polyurethane (PU) floor paint for interior and exterior concrete surfaces. “The new water-based polyurethane floor paint provides an attractive satin finish on concrete floors and walls, and is also robust enough for commercial and industrial applications, which pose more or less similar requirements as we encountered at the rhino sanctuary,” Jones states.
Some of the other advantages of the new product – which made it ideal for the wildlife sanctuary – are:
- Environmentally- and user-friendly (solvent free);
- Easy to use, water-based satin finish;
- Easy cleaning and good stain resistance;
- Excellent scratch, scuff and wear resistance;
- Chemicals and stain resistance; and
- UV and weather resistant – colour-fast and non-yellowing.
Named after conservationist, Thula Thula game reserve owner, author and so-called “Elephant Whisperer”, who died in March 2012, The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation is an independent, non-profit group which seeks to protect and preserve the environment through education and action. The Chryso Southern Africa Group is also committed, both in product development and manufacturing processes, to sustainability and has for some years been a member of the Green Building Council of SA.
For more information about the new baby rhino sanctuary and the Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].