P2 visit the Five Sisters Zoo

We paused for a moment on entering the zoo at the memorial garden built to commemorate the animals that died in a ferocious fire that swept through the zoo’s reptile house. We were heartened to hear that the fire crew was able to rescue a pair of dwarf crocodiles and an otter that was housed nearby. The “Lost Kingdom” has been constructed since, and we were able to experience the tropical climate inside and see the crocodiles that survived the fire next to some American alligators, a crocodile monitor and a rhinoceros iguana with its three horn-like lumps on its head.

On the way to the reptile house, we were delighted to see Peanut and Oscar, two Asian short clawed otters, with their pups playing happily by their pond. We saw the remnants of seafood fed to them earlier on in the day. We noticed a blue crane perched on a nest and were delighted to see it had laid an egg. Nearby were the extremely sociable meerkats in their enclosure built to recreate the African desert. We saw one meerkat acting as a sentry perching on its hind legs and scanning the sky for predators. The rest of the mob were digging burrows with their long, sharp claws and foraging for food. We noticed their large eyes surrounded by dark patches which we learnt reduces the glare from the bright desert sun.

We attended a workshop led by Adam, the zookeeper, who talked about the various habitats that animals live in. We went on to examine the way in which animals have adapted to survive in their surroundings. Fennec foxes have many desert adaptations and we learnt that their big ears help keep them cool. Their pale fur also helps them blend in with the sand. Adam took us to see the red panda perched high in the trees and we learnt how this carnivore has adapted to living in an herbivorous environment and eats mainly bamboo leaves. Adam then guided us to see the snow leopards in their enclosure recreated to mimic their native mountainous habitat. It was difficult to spot them at first because they camouflaged so well into their surroundings. Adam told us how global warming is threatening their survival and how the warmer weather is increasing the growth of plants in their habitats which makes the snow leopards easier to spot by predators. He gave us some advice on what we can do to prevent climate change and ensure the survival of this species.

We listened to the moving story of Peggy, Suzzie and Carmen – three bears who were rescued from a circus. One of the bears, Suzzie, was so traumatized by the appalling conditions she was kept in that, on her arrival at the zoo, she kept walking in small circles. All three bears have since passed away but we were glad to learn that they spent some happy years at the zoo enjoying their purpose-built woodland enclosure with its waterfall and stream. Two new bears have since arrived at the zoo and we caught one enjoying a bath and doing a funny roly-poly just in front of us.

Four male lions were rescued from a travelling circus in Belgium and were brought to the zoo in 2015. We saw pictures of the lions crammed into tiny metal cages and learnt that they had their claws ripped out and were beaten by sticks. The lions are now living happy, safe and healthy lives at the zoo and we were delighted to see them close-up looking relaxed and enjoying a nap in the warm sunshine.

Many other animals delighted and entertained us on our wander around the zoo including monkeys, lemurs, Scottish wild cats, wallabies, and gibbons with their howling call.

And finally, our thanks to Daniyal and Matthew who donated their birthday money to the Five Sisters Zoo to help care for the animals at the zoo and protect those that are endangered. Watch out, David Attenborough. We have some budding conservationists in the making!