Meet Batu, the Co-op bag lady!

LIKE every major retail society, Midlands Co-op donates tens of thousands of pounds to charities and good causes every year. However as staff at two of the society&#039s...

LIKE every major retail society, Midlands Co-op donates tens of thousands of pounds to charities and good causes every year. However as staff at two of the society&#039s stores have discovered, even the smallest and least expensive gift can make a big difference to some recipients.
When keepers at Twycross Zoo near Tamworth let it be known that their orang-utans and apes will play for hours with empty potato bags, the stores were happy to help.
Now a regular supply of used paper sacks is sent to the zoo from Midlands Co-op&#039s superstore in Glenfield and its supermarket in Groby Road, Leicester.
Keepers use the bags to make beds for the apes; to hide food and the little ones even hide in them. The sacks are also used as slides and sometimes pushed around on the ground in a display of strength.
Twycross Zoo spokeswoman Kim Riley commented: "Both the keepers and the apes are pleased to see the bags arrive each week. We are sincerely grateful to the staff at Midlands Co-op for taking the time to ensure the sacks are put aside for us."
Our picture shows Batu, a lively young orang-utan from Malaysia, examining her latest gift from Midlands Co-op.

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