Children invited to take a walk on the wild side
Posted on 4 July 2011
The Summer Academy at the Zoo is a fun-filled week of activities at Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo, near Malton, for children aged seven to 10 from 25 to 29 July.
Children will learn about conservation in an engaging way with a chance to become a scientist, explorer and even an animal tracker.
The week has been organised by the Centre for the Integration of Research, Conservation and Learning (CIRCLE) – a jointly-funded venture between the University’s Environment Department and Flamingo Land.
Research Associate Cat Hickey, Zoo Education Strategist with CIRCLE, said: “It will be a fun-filled week of discovery for the children. They will learn about where animals are found in the wild and how to take care of them, as well as taking part in games with a wild side, exploring the zoo in scavenger hunts and creating their own zoo. The highlight will be getting up close and personal to the zoo’s fantastic collection of animals, around 20 per cent of which is at threat or extinct in the wild.”
Children taking part in the academy will see the Rothschild’s giraffe calf, Roofus, born in May, signalling hope for the species as numbers continue to decline through habitat loss and hunting. Just 670 remain in the wild in isolated pockets in Kenya and Uganda.
It will be a fun-filled week of discovery for the children.
Cat Hickey, Zoo Education Strategist with CIRCLE
The zoo is also celebrating the recent births of a critically endangered Bactrian camel and two Scimitar horned Oryx, a species now extinct in the wild.
The CIRCLE institute was launched at the North Yorkshire theme park in October 2010 and is playing an important role in protecting habitats and species both locally and internationally.
Its work so far includes helping to design and evaluate a new penguin pool, developing the conservation areas within the holiday park, and carrying out research on how best to protect Tanzanian rainforests.
The CIRCLE interns are currently researching the behaviour of Humboldt penguins following the first births of chicks in the new enclosure which they helped design. This includes looking at the effects of the enclosure design and the positioning of the nesting boxes on hatchlings and the rate of birth.
The Humboldt penguin is found in isolated populations along the west coast of South America, but due to overfishing and climate change, their numbers have decreased over the last 30 years. Flamingo Land is among a network of zoos across the world breeding this species to maintain a viable captive population.
The interns are also carrying out behavioural research on the animals connected to the zoo’s latest attraction, Children’s Planet, which they helped design and produced the signage for. The area plays host to a huge interactive animal exhibit, featuring animals such as meerkats, otters, warthogs and lemurs. With areas for digging and climbing, Children’s Planet allows children to get up close to the animals and mimic their behaviour.
Further afield, the CIRCLE team is also playing a significant role in conserving global biodiversity through the zoo’s Udzungwa Forest Project, which involves working with local people and researchers in Tanzania to conserve threatened species and local habitats.
The Summer Academy at the Zoo runs from Monday, 25 July to Friday, 29 July from 9am – 4:30pm daily. There are only 25 spaces available so early booking is recommended. Places cost £100 for the week per child. This includes all activities, a zoo explorer t-shirt and a folder highlighting all children saw and did during the week. For further information contact zooeducation@flamingoland.co.uk or 01653 908082.
Notes to editors:
- The CIRCLE institute (Centre for the Integration of Research, Conservation and Learning) was launched in October 2010 and is part of the University of York’s Environment Department based at Flamingo Land. For further information on the Environment Department visit www.york.ac.uk/environment
- Flamingo Land is a North Yorkshire theme park, home to the UK’s most popular zoo (enjoyEngland.com) and the world’s steepest roller-coaster, “Mumbo Jumbo”. Flamingo Land’s slogan is “Wild animals, wilder rides”. Flamingo Land plays an active role in conservation and education both in the zoo and Tanzania, through the park’s Udzungwa Forest Project. For further information visit www.flamingoland.co.uk
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