Zoologist You Say?

  

Nicole Kidman was once quoted as saying, "I love acting but taking the kids to the zoo is a lot more fun!"  We couldn't agree more.  That is why today we loaded up the vans early and headed to the NC Zoo in Asheboro.  We have to admit the excitement level was high as we had talked about the animals they wanted to see which included the elephants, gorillas, and puffins...not to mention a few other animals that don't actually live at our zoo.

  Once we walked in we saw a crocodile and learned about the conservation efforts of the zoo.  We walked on to see the seals, puffins, and of course the Polar Bear.  The majority of the animals were cooperative however there were a few that were not on display like the otters.  Although a favorite we learned today that otters and giraffes could be susceptible to COVID.  It was something most of us had not thought of.

  In several of the habitats today we got to see the zoo staff working with the animals on everything from cleaning filters in one of the snake habitats to working with the flamingos.  By the way did you know flamingo's coloring comes from the food they eat?  They like a steady diet of shrimp, hence their pink coloring.  This trip their were more signs talking about different careers at the zoo and some of the things that you can do if you want to work with the animals.  

   As always the elephants were a hit and even the Gorillas even if they were just laying around.  We saw bison, black bears, and even more exotic birds than we found at Skywatch yesterday.  By the end of it all we had walked a little over three miles, and most of our campers were hot and exhausted.  Somewhere in there they got to see something that made all of them happy, and they accidentally learned something along the way.  Just another benefit of 4-H.

To see all the fun we had check out our photos.

 Stay tuned.  The week isn't over we still have more adventures to come.