Yesterday
entailed a trip to Chester Zoo for my college course. We all felt giddily
excited as the tutors read out the register on the bus to check everyone was
all present and correct; it felt like we were 12 again and about to set off on
a big adventure, packed lunches in tow and begging to be eaten right away. The
weather was far from pleasant, rain fell sporadically as the wind just got
stronger and stronger but nothing could dampen our spirits... we were off to
the zoo!! I felt so liberated to finally be among people who openly shared
their passion for this trip, to see the animals and just sit and watch them,
study them.
Upon
arrival, we were given an Animal Behaviour task which called for us to watch
the Meerkats for 2 15 minute slots in order to fill out an ethogram. For our
Exotic module, we were given a work book put together by our tutor and the zoo.
Inside was a treasure trove of information about the animals and various other
subjects, including Animal Welfare issues. One exercise called for us to
observe the birds in the Tsavo Bird Aviary; this took longer than expected but
we were soon enchanted by the wonderful colours and bustling activity of the
Village Weavers et al. With the help of a friendly birdwatcher, we spotted a
bird, the Superb Starling, we’d all but given up hope on. From here on in, we
would eagerly seek it out.
After
a quick refuelling at lunchtime, we made our way back to the Meerkats. The
young were still play fighting and running around at the speed of sound. They
were also learning how to perform sentry duty, however, all that playing must
have worn them out as they often fell asleep on the job.
Our
next job was then to head over to the giraffes and assess their enclosure in
terms of whether it met the five animal freedoms. We then rushed over to the
Education Centre. During our rush over, we had time to catch quick glimpses of
the Horn- Billed Toucans and the Giant Tortoises.
We
then were seated in an Education classroom where a very well- spoken member of
the zoo presented us with a powerpoint presentation which included information
on zoo legislation, research case studies and enrichment techniques. My inner
geek thoroughly enjoyed this!
Unfortunately,
the end of the presentation meant the end of our day at the zoo. I’d enjoyed
the work we’d had to do and found the whole experience extremely educational
and fun. I did regret that we had not had the time to see more of the animals
(and spend more time with my beloved elephants!) but studying the animals in a
more educational capacity was fabulous.
Now,
it’s only 5 more weeks until my birthday and I know what that also means....a
trip to the zoo!
