The Tire Tower
Tire Tetrahedron Climbing Structure Project
In honor of Earth Day, we bring you a special story about a brand new climbing structure we just installed today in the Peachtree Habitat for the chimps! It is entirely made out of old tires that were headed to the landfill, left-over paint that was going to be discarded, about $25 worth of hardware, and Caregiver Aide Alyssa’s imagination.
By Alyssa Newberry
The Vision
When I was a kid, my sister and I used to go to this park every time we went to visit our grandmother. What was so unique about this park was that it was made completely out of recycled materials. I remember there was a tall pyramid made from tires and we would play on this pyramid all day long, whether climbing to the highest point or resting in its shade.
Fast forward to when I started volunteering at Project Chimps in the spring of 2019. As a kitchen volunteer, I used to stare out the large window just waiting for a chimp to walk by. And in my time staring out this window, an idea came to mind. I wanted these chimps to have a tire structure just like the one I enjoyed so much as a kid.
I joined the staff later that year and in January of 2020, I set one of my annual goals to see that idea become reality.
The Project
With her plans laid out, her team on board, she was ready to start this five-day project:
The original design of the tire pyramid wouldn’t work well for chimps, because every tire was the same, smaller size. In order for this structure to be safe for chimpanzees, they needed to have a very large entrance/exit to the inside area.
This made things a little more difficult with the design process, but after a quick inventory of the tires we had collected, I realized we had the perfect amount on hand to make three identical walls. This turned our pyramid into a chimp-friendly tetrahedron.
Day 1: Collected tires and arranged walls according the design I drew on my computer.
Day 2: Power washed each tire and painted first coat of green base color.
Day 3: Painted second coat of green base color and then added accent colors. Connected the first wall using bolts.
Day 4: Connected the remaining two walls and began assembling the structure. After a great deal of difficulty, we discovered the best way to assemble the structure was with the help of the tractor.
Day 5: We added a metal support frame in the shape of a triangle to the inside of the structure near the middle to prevent the walls from buckling. We buried the bottom layer of tires to install the structure as well as drilling drainage holes into each tire for when it rains.
The Results
It was finally time, today, on Earth Day, to let the chimps try it out! With the team looking on, Kirk’s group of 10 males were given the first chance to explore the new structure. They had been able to watch the humans at work from their outdoor porch at Chimps Ahoy this morning while it was installed so we knew they would be curious.
Maverick was the first to approach and he surveyed the new item from all sides. Rocko also came over to check it out. But did they climb it???
Well. Not today! It is quite new and they are still wary of new things. We’ll be introducing other chimps to the structure in the coming days and provide an update soon!
I couldn’t have completed this project so quickly without the help from Rodney, Annie, Christy, Dave, Lucas, Joseph, and volunteer Alan! Thank you with all my heart!