AN ANGLESEY supermarket will make the chimps’ tea party at a North Wales zoo a more classy affair.
Waitrose in Menai Bridge will supply fruit and vegetables that are past their sell by date for animals at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay.
Store manager Gareth Hind was delighted to support the zoo.
He added: “The Welsh Mountain Zoo has a fantastic education and conservation programme to help visitors understand the importance of the wonderful animals that they look after, and hopefully this support will mean that they will be able to extend their work.”
The animals will tuck into fruits such as grapes, figs, papaya and kiwi.
Most of Waitrose’s waste products are sent to anaerobic digestion plants to be converted into reusable energy.
Mr Hind added: “his local initiative is a great way to complement our programme of reducing food waste whilst helping our local zoo.”
The Zoo will use the produce to feed animals including chimpanzees, gibbons, spider monkeys, European brown bears and Camels.
Zoo staff will collect the produce from the store twice every week.
Welsh Mountain zoo administrative director Chris Davies was grateful for the store’s report.
“The food produce donated by Waitrose will make a significant contribution to the upkeep of the wonderful animals in our care, many of which are part of co-ordinated conservation breeding programmes,” he said.