Isle of Wight sanctuary welcomes Wightlink lifebuoys

LIONS and lemurs at the Isle of Wight’s Wildheart Animal Sanctuary have been thrown a playtime ‘lifeline’ thanks the donation of old lifebuoys for the animals to enjoy from Wightlink.

The life-saving rings were previously onboard the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry, Wight Sun, but have now been replaced with new ones.

Having previously donated old mooring lines to the Sandown attraction, Wightlink was keen to give the life rings a new home too — and they were gratefully received.

The attraction's animal manager, Marc Fox, said: “We are always looking for ways to enrich our animals’ lives. The life rings are a novel object which provide the perfect swings for the lemurs and are ideal scratching and chewing toys for the lions.

"We’re really grateful for Wightlink’s ongoing support — both with donations of equipment, and help with bringing animals across The Solent to the sanctuary.”

Wightlink is a supporter of the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary.

In recent years the company has provided crossings for rescued animals, including tigers, pigs, owls, porcupines, Rankin's Dragons, a giant rabbit and even a cockatoo.

Phil Delaney, Wightlink’s commercial director, was delighted the ferry company could help.

“As a responsible company, we try to recycle as much as possible. We are really pleased Wight Sun’s old life rings have been put to good use at the sanctuary, rather than going to landfill.

"It looks like the animals are really enjoying the latest additions to their habitats.

"We hope the rings provide them with many hours of fun.”