From creating elephant corridors in Sri Lanka to monkey control in Saudi Arabia or keeping bears out of huts in inner Mongolia, NZ-made Gallagher electric fencing is being used in novel ways around the globe.
While New Zealand farmers trust Gallagher electric fences to safely contain their stock on our green pastures, around the world the same Gallagher technology is being used to exclude exotic animals from villages and homes - keeping both the animals and local residents safe.
Gallagher Business Development Manager, Animal Management, Owen Boyes says along with the well-known animal containment applications, animal exclusion has become a growing part of Gallagher’s business.
In Japan more than 50 per cent of Gallagher’s business is directed towards providing electric fencing to keep wild deer and pigs out of farmers’ crops. While in countries like Saudi Arabia there is an increasing market for electric fencing to keep camels contained and monkeys out of homes.
“Our business is effectively made up of two halves. The animal containment side that everyone knows about, and animal exclusion which is typically about keeping wild animals out,” says Owen.
In Sri Lanka Gallagher electric fencing has been used to create hundreds of kilometres of elephant corridors, to provide a safe passage for the migrating herds around villages in the Sri Lankan bush.
“The elephants often end up encountering the villages as they migrate, and they make a huge mess of the crops and they are difficult to move on. The electric fences keep both the crops and the villagers safe,” says Owen.
In Saudi Arabia Gallagher has been supplying temporary electric fencing to help manage camels in the Saudi desert.
“Camel owners hold these camels out in the desert on a temporary basis. We developed a solution for them to put electrics around the temporary holding pens for the camels,” says Owen.
The business has expanded and now sees Gallagher electric fences being used on the top of walls surrounding Saudi Arabian homes to keep monkeys out.
“Monkeys in the cities are a real problem, getting into people's yards. They’re difficult to keep out because they’re such good climbers, and they’re smart. The fences help to keep the monkeys out of trouble” says Owen.
Gallagher electric fences have even made it to inner Mongolia where they are being used to surround the huts of migrating villagers, who leave their homes for warmer areas when the snow arrives.
“They leave the huts vacant once the snow arrives but then the bears come, so they put up temporary electric fencing so the bears can’t break in and create a mess looking for food,” says Owen.
Gallagher fences are also being used in safari parks in Vietnam where local contractors have fenced off parts of the parks to keep animal groups separate and provide a safe route for people to drive through in their vehicles.
While these exotic applications are a world away from a paddock of livestock in New Zealand, Owen says the principles are just the same.
“People want safe and reliable animal control whether it’s for containment or exclusion and there is really no difference whether that’s an elephant in Sri Lanka or a dairy cow in the Waikato. Our customers know they can trust the Gallagher electric fence systems they use,” says Owen.
