Otter Family’s New Home a Top Attraction with Aquarium Builder Reynolds Polymer Technology’s R-Cast® Acrylic
Tennessee Aquarium’s River Otter Falls has undertaken the most substantial redesign in its 22-year history. Specially manufactured viewing windows from RPT allow the public to enjoy the exhibit.
Grand Junction, CO. June 30, 2014 – The river otters at Tennessee Aquarium have always been a draw for a public that enjoys watching the charming creatures at work and play. Now, the Aquarium’s most popular residents (Digger, Hunter, Scout, Delmar, Maya, Benny and Louie) are enjoying even more prestige in a brand-new habitat. The recently reopened River Otter Falls, which is within the Cove Forest section of the park, was several years in the making and carefully tailored to the needs of its furred residents.
The focal point of the exhibit is an “L” shaped avenue of five custom cast acrylic viewing windows that allow visitors to peek inside the otter habitat – both above water and below. Each R-Cast® panel that forms the main viewing area is 10 feet tall and 6.5 feet wide. Put them all together, and you have a 32-foot long, two-inch thick transparent window that weighs almost 5,000 pounds. Aquarium guests have an extensive range of vision in which to observe the river otters as they frolic on a tiered landscape complete with pools, waterfalls, and sandy open space. A smaller, three-foot square viewing panel was also installed below the waterline and at the perfect height for curious children.
The river otter was at one time listed as an endangered species in the state of Tennessee. Were it not for the efforts of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, which spent a decade repopulating rivers with the mammals, they might well be extinct. River Otter Falls has always served as a testimony to the value and beauty that native fauna bring to the people of Tennessee.
“I think it’s fair to say that we are a partner in the conservation industry,” said Dan David, Director of Sales for Water Retaining Projects at Reynolds Polymer. “Many projects that we get the opportunity to work on involve species that are or have been in danger of extinction. There is a special type of reward in such projects that I think most people can relate to.”
Reynolds Polymer Technology has long been adept at designing and manufacturing windows for mammal and zoo exhibits. Grizzly Ridge at Akron Zoo, the Bronx Zoo tiger exhibit, the Arctic Ring of Life at the Detroit Zoo, and the soon-to-open Journey to Churchill exhibit at Assiniboine Park Zoo in Canada are just a few examples from the company’s expansive portfolio.
