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On sloth day, we met the Hoffman's two-toed sloth, Gonzo, and an education staff member told us all about these fascinating mammals that spend their time hanging out (literally!) in the rainforests in South America. Some of us even had our photo taken up on stage with Gonzo. At craft time, we made our own sloth to take home.
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Our group met one of the bird keepers at the African bird exhibit and learned all about the beautiful East African crowned cranes. We also candled eggs and held baby chicks. And at craft time, we made our own cranes to take home.
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First, one of the keepers showed us a red-footed tortoise. Then, we helped the keeper to prepare the diets of the Aldabra tortoises. This was actually a fun game, where we picked up a plate with a fruit or vegetable listed on it, and we had to put that food item on the plate and walk it down and place it into the food bowl. We also went to the Tortoise Talk and were able to get up close to Redman, the Aldabra tortoise. At craft time, we made a tortoise craft, too.
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A baby giraffe was born this week - a 5' 11", 149-pound male. Safari Day campers held a "name the baby" contest, with each group
submitting a name for the baby giraffe. These 8 suggestions were given to the Wildlife staff, who chose the winner. Group 2 won the contest. They chose the name Scott, which is Mskoti in Swahili. Each member of Group 2 won their own Mskoti (a stuffed giraffe from the gift shop). At the giraffe feeding exhibit, our group met one of the wildlife staff members who handed out rakes and brushes and taught us how to clean the water trough and rake the exhibit. They explained that this is an important part of how a keeper takes care of the animals. When we finished, we went up to the feeding area and the giraffe came into the cleaned exhibit. We were then able to feed the giraffe, and some of us had our photo taken with the giraffe. At craft time, we made a special giraffe craft to take home.
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We took a tour through the preserve to look for South American animals, and then we went to the Animal Theatre, where we met two of the education animals that come from this part of the world. Some of us even had our photo taken with a parrot or a tortoise. We also did a scavenger hunt through Safari World to find other animals that come from South America. At craft time, we made a South American craft.