Werner Schmid GmbH Donates Specialized Equipment to Mark Its Company Anniversary

Electric Wheelbarrow for the Zoo

The zoo in Fulda-Neuenberg is currently not only being expanded and modernized, but – in cooperation with the Fulda Environmental Center – is also evolving in terms of content and concept toward becoming what is known as a “human-animal encounter center.” Any support is welcome; as is now the case with Werner Schmid GmbH in Fulda: The company sponsored an electric wheelbarrow capable of transporting loads weighing several hundred kilograms. At a small, COVID-safe outdoor event, the company’s managing directors, Matthias and Joachim Hauß, presented the wheelbarrow to Dr. Bianca Reith, veterinarian and scientific director of the zoo; Timo Heumüller and Alexander Sust from the Fulda Environmental Center; and Mayor Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld, who also serves as chairman of the Fulda Environmental Center Association. The mayor expressed his gratitude for the “outstanding civic engagement” of the Werner Schmid company, which has now been carried on by the third generation.

Speaking on behalf of the company, Joachim Hauß explained the motivation behind the donation: “As a founding member of the Perspektiva initiative, it goes without saying that we support it continuously with donations. However, to mark our company’s 75th anniversary, we wanted to make an even greater impact. Our goal was to create a permanent installation with lasting practical value. So, together with our parent company, we came up with the idea of the Heimattiergarten, which is currently undergoing renovations as part of a new concept.” According to Hauß, facilities like the zoo can provide important support, particularly in helping children and adolescents cope with the psychological effects of the COVID-19 crisis, and the company is eager to support this effort: “By purchasing this electric wheelbarrow, we want to make a lasting contribution: It offers real added value to the people doing ‘valuable’ work at the zoo and makes their jobs easier.” While searching for a suitable device, they came across the manufacturer Kneilmann, which, among other things, supplies such custom-made products for zoos and horse farms. When the company’s sales representative learned of the purpose of the donation, he offered a discount and also donated pitchforks to the Tiergarten, Hauß said. Veterinarian Dr. Reith was thrilled with the donation, which can be used in a variety of ways, such as for cleaning out the enclosures. Alexander Sust, managing director of the Environmental Center, emphasized that the electric motor for the wheelbarrow also means that the work can now be done by people who lack physical strength—“the wheelbarrow thus even helps to overcome gender and generational inequalities,” said Sust.