A (College) Trip to Chester Zoo

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!