10 Feb 2005 DSP colour cameras from Rainbow CCTV have been installed at the Milwaukee County Zoo, Wisconsin, in an area featuring warthogs and zebra.

The CCTV installation is concentrated on the warthogs’ winter exhibit section which is underground and would not normally be visible to visitors. The cameras perform a valuable role in allowing curators to observe the animals from all over the complex in the run-up to their birthing cycle.

The County Zoo has also used cameras to monitor storks from a distance as they hatch their offspring. Curators believe that improved data on the birds’ habits contributed to the successful raising of two Marabou stork chicks.

The Rainbow cameras were installed by Milwaukee-based S-O-S Electronics Corporation, a prominent consultant and installer with an impressive client portfolio across the education, leisure and commercial sectors.

Monitors for use by the public were mounted in the Feline Building from which visitors including parties of schoolchildren could observe the warthogs in detail. Other animals in the vicinity include tapirs and kudu which are also native to Africa.

Milwaukee County Zoo has 2,000 specimens representing 350 species. It is known for its primate complex which offers an unrivalled exhibition of lowland gorillas, particularly those associated with the West African rain forests.

About the cameras

Rainbow’s 1/3” DSP colour cameras use the Sony Super HAD CCD and offer 330 TV lines resolution with a high sensitivity of 0.2 lux. The units include backlight compensation and operate on 12VDC or 24VAC. There is a Backfocus ModeTM feature for one-touch backfocusing of the camera and lens. Dimensions are 1.9 x 1.9 x 3.3 inches and weight is 7.1 oz. The ivory finish and inconspicuous appearance were important to the applications described here.