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We met the elephant keepers at elephant island, where they showed us how the elephants are taught to do specific behaviors (such as raise their trunks) by using positive reinforcement. These behaviors help the keepers check their health in a safe way. We also visited the elephants' night quarters and watched the elephants cool off in the water. Later, we made an elephant craft to take home.
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| Flamingo We met a bird keeper at the flamingo exhibit and learned that Lion Country Safari has 2 types of flamingos: Caribbean and Chilean. We also learned why flamingos often stand on one leg (and we tried to see how long we could stand on just one leg) and how to tell which of our flamingos is the girl. We candled eggs and held the baby chicks, and we made a flamingo in craft time. |
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One of the education staff brought out the Florida kingsnake or a ball python and told us all about these fascinating reptiles. We also examined a snake skeleton and felt a snake shed, and some of us held the snake for our photo. We made a snake craft to take home, too.
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This week, we learned some of what goes on behind the scenes to put on a show at the Animal Theatre. We worked with the education staff to develop a routine to present to the public at one of the shows. At craft time, we painted a totem pole to take home to remember our time up on stage (next to the new totem poles).
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After driving through the preserve and identifying all of the animal species that are found in Africa in the wild, we stopped at the giraffe feeding exhibit and fed the giraffe. Some of us even had our photo taken here. We also made an African craft to take home.