In celebration of Earth Day on Saturday 22 April, adhesive manufacturer Pratley highlights the conservation efforts in which its high-performance adhesive products have recently played a key role. This year’s theme for Earth Day is ‘Invest in our Planet’.

Pratley Quickset® Putty is being used with great success to assist with inserting VHF tracking devices into the horns of rhinos in ongoing efforts to combat rhino poaching. The product is currently being used by the Black Rhino Range Expansion Project (BRREP) as part of its VHF tracker programme at the Dinokeng Game Reserve. VHF transmitters are fitted into the horns of sedated black rhinos by drilling a small hole in the inert or dead section of the horn. The procedure is quick and causes no harm or pain to the rhino, following which the hole is plugged with Pratley Quickset® Putty. This ensures the device remains in place and provides long-term protection for the rhino’s horn.

Dinokeng Game Reserve GM David Boshoff reveals that a dental adhesive was used initially until a veterinarian came up with the idea of using the versatile Pratley Quickset® Putty, which has proved more than up to this important job of assisting with the preservation of rhinos in the wild.

Marine conservation efforts on the east coast of Africa are also in full swing with Pratley products, assisting Oceans Without Borders to preserve the coral reefs around Mnemba Island near Zanzibar. Here the uniquely South African adhesive Pratley Putty, is being used to secure and restructure endangered coral reefs off the coast of Zanzibar.

Oceans Without Borders is using marine rangers to maintain and nurture coral gardens. Here the local reef is a living laboratory for reef restoration. Broken pieces of parent coral are collected from all over the reefs. The fragments are transformed into new coral pieces, whereby each fragment is secured to a special disc with Pratley Putty and added to the underwater coral nursery table.

“This is not the first time Pratley Putty has been used in conservation projects,” highlights Mark Bell, Pratley’s National Sales and Marketing Manager for Adhesives. Sea turtles have had their damaged shells repaired with Pratley Putty, while researchers have used Pratley Putty to stick radio transmitters to the scales of pangolins while studying them in the wild. Since its launch in the early 1960s, Pratley Putty has become a household name for DIY applications, with a myriad of uses.

“Many of our adhesive products are very well suited for on-the-go applications, and we are happy that they have assisted many conservation initiatives over the years and continue to do so,” highlights Bell.

Watch the following videos for more insight into these remarkable projects: