SINGAPORE \u2013 Mr Justin Ong was at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, Japan, in January 2026, when he saw monkeys swinging around on old fire hoses in their enclosure. <\/p>\n
Inspiration struck him, and when the staff officer of future operations at Changi Airport Group\u2019s (CAG) Airport Emergency Service returned to Singapore, he asked his colleagues if they would like to try upcycling fire hoses as a team bonding activity.<\/p>\n
They agreed, and that was how the lions and monkeys at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve ended up with four hammocks made from repurposed fire hoses to lounge and rest comfortably on.<\/p>\n
Mr Nazmi Mohamed Nazali, a fire sergeant at CAG\u2019s Airport Emergency Service, helped to gather more than 20 unserviceable fire hoses from the firefighting units at Changi and Seletar airports as well as military airbases.<\/p>\n
These fire hoses had either exceeded their 15- to 20-year lifespan or sustained damage beyond repair.<\/p>\n
Mr Ong then contacted Mandai Wildlife Group to explore the possibility of converting the hoses into structures that the animals could use. The group confirmed that this was feasible, and also offered to host a hammock-building workshop for the staff. <\/p>\n
For four hours in February, around 20 volunteers from the Airport Emergency Service worked together at the workshop to build the hammocks from scratch using the collected fire hoses, together with steel frames.<\/p>\n
Describing the cutting process as \u201cquite difficult\u201d, Ms Yvonne Sin, assistant manager of administration and finance at the Airport Emergency Service, explained that it was challenging to handle the larger garden shears needed to cut the thick fire hoses into long strips. <\/p>\n Changi Airport Group’s Airport Emergency Service team members and a staff member from Mandai Wildlife Group bolting cut fire hoses to a frame.<\/p>\n PHOTO: CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The volunteers then had to weave the strips into a crisscross pattern \u2013 similar to that of ketupat wrapping \u2013 before bolting them to the steel frames using drills. <\/p>\n The hammocks needed to be sturdy enough to support the animals\u2019 weight, but Mr Halil Iskander wanted to go the extra mile by making his visually appealing as well.<\/p>\n The senior fire warrant officer in fire prevention at the Airport Emergency Service said he colour-coded the hammock he was working on so that the monkeys could have a special hammock with zigzagging strips in different shades of red.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bit extra, so I could tell my kids that this particular (hammock) is the one I made,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Mr Nazmi, the fire sergeant, also said he was looking forward to showing his two-year-old son the hammock he made, since his son visits the zoo every month. <\/p>\n The team with their completed hammocks.<\/p>\n PHOTO: CHANGI AIRPORT GROUP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Mr Grant Kother, curator of behavioural research and management for veterinary healthcare and scientific programmes at Mandai Wildlife Group, told The Straits Times that the Asian lions are using their two hammocks as additional resting places. The other two smaller hammocks support enrichment activities for the primates, he said, adding that they provide opportunities for climbing, swinging, and staying both physically and mentally stimulated.<\/p>\n Noting that behavioural enrichment is one of the ways the group cares for its animals, Mr Kother said this involves carefully designed activities and environments that \u201cencourage natural behaviours\u201d and support the animals\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n \u201cFire hoses are durable enough to withstand the claws, teeth and talons of our animals, making them a practical and suitable material for such uses,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n This is not the first time that CAG and Mandai Wildlife Group have repurposed retired fire hoses.<\/p>\n CAG had previously recycled decommissioned fire hoses into coin pouches for a company event, and into Christmas trees for the office.<\/p>\n Mr Halil said: \u201cWe use these hoses to save lives, and once they\u2019ve served their purpose \u2013 we don\u2019t just retire them, but we give them meaningful second lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Kother said hoses donated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force have been upcycled into puzzle feeders \u2013 interactive toys that require animals to solve puzzles to access food \u2013 as well as climbing platforms and resting structures for a variety of species across Mandai\u2019s wildlife parks.<\/p>\n When asked about plans to repurpose more fire hoses, CAG said it is \u201calways on the lookout” for ways to help the community and do its part for the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cShould a suitable opportunity arise or if other partners want to work with us on a meaningful cause, we remain ready to explore this,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/picture><\/div>
<\/picture><\/div>