There was No Monkey Business Today

  In case you were wondering there is no bull about that title, however there might be a little bison.  On day three of 4-H Bio-tech day camp we focused on animal science with a hint of environmental conservation as we all traveled to Asheboro to the North Carolina Zoo.  It was a gorgeous day to start with as we avoided the big heat wave we had been having.  After entering the zoo we decided to hit the tram and travel to Africa and work our way back.
  We started by visiting the Ostriches and learning about the natural environment around them.  We also saw Gorillas, Baboons, Rhinos and much more.  Before hitting the tram to get us to lunch we checked out the helicopter, a tool that is necessary in Africa to study animals in their natural habitat, give them aid, and bring us more information about wild animals so that we can do everything we can as humans to protect them from becoming extinct.  Did you know that there are actually more than 17,000 species of animals that are listed as endangered or critically endangered?  That is out of more than a millions species that are reported to exist.  Zoos play a very important role in providing shelter and breeding sanctuaries for animals that are endangered.  Although many of the animals that we visit at the zoo are not on the endangered list, many of them would not be able to survive in the wild, and by being a part of the zoo researchers can study them, care for them and find way to help animals in the wild to ensure they do not become extinct.
  To make sure we made it to the lunch meeting spot on time we got on one of the North Carolina Zoo's special zebra buses.  These buses are powered by used cooking oil that has been refined into a bio fuel.  It serves two purposes not only are they recycling by doing this but they are also keeping what could be harmful materials out of the environment which means a better carbon footprint for plants and animals in the future.  Recycling is very important to the zoo and they are making a community wide effort to spread the word about its importance.  We stopped at the junction for a hamburger or hot dog lunch, and a bit of a seat before we headed on.

  Our next stop was North America with a goal of seeing all 1,100 animals at the zoo along with the 40,000 different types of plants.  The kids were buzzing about our first stop at the Honey Bee Garden.  Sponsored by the North Carolina Bee Keepers Association (a group that we are very familiar with in Cooperative Extension) showed us how to find a queen and the importance of bees in our society today.  Our nest stop was the Sonora Desert.  Of course you see all sorts of things in the dessert, like tutles, snakes, and aparently Ocelots which had everyone oohhhing and ahhhing.  After the desert it was time to hike on to see the red wolves, grizzly bears, and head to the Praire Outpost whic is the highest part of the zoo.  From there we saw Bison and Elk before checking out the otters playing with each other streamside.  We made a quick trip back towards the North American Plaza so we could make it home in time to see our parents.  Overall we had a lot of fun and saw things we could not see anywhere else.
  Stay tuned tomorrow as we get ready to blow things wide open with an introduction to the world of college science.