Yesterday I had a phone call asking if I would work all day today which naturally I accepted. It was to take a class out to Exmoor Zoo for the day. That's a great place to go but it is quite stressful being responsible for 29 children. I spent a lot of time counting heads because it is an easy place to lose a child. Fortunately no one wandered off and I brought home the same number of children as I set off with. Exmoor Zoo is a lovely zoo, in recent years they have replaced a lot of the enclosure walls with glass panels which are excellent for viewing but not so good for taking photos.
Down by the lake three pelicans were waiting to be fed, this chap looked as though he would swallow a glove or hat if we got too close.
These tapirs were like a slow motion pair of puppies as the further one tried to grab the stick which was being chewed by its companion.
It was a bitterly cold day up there on Exmoor and these little silky bantams were huddled up trying to sleep under a bench. The children got to see lots of new animals and had a special talk on the Rainforest as that is this term's topic.
Those that wanted to could stroke a giant stick insect, a snake and a hissing cockroach (I passed on that one). Coming back down from Bratton Flemming I got to enjoy a spectacular view right down to the sea, 15 miles away and out across the bay to Hartland Point.
3 comments:
Sounds like a fun day.
I wouldn't mind holding the snack but no thanks on the cockroach!!!
Did you take 29 children by yourself?! I have been on a zoo fieldtrip with 6 or 7 yr olds, but there was one adult for 4 or 5 kids as I remember. I looked at Exmoor's FB page-it looks like they have a nice zoo. Here in Portland we're waiting for a baby elephant, should arrive anytime now. Her last baby is 4 yrs old and quite a rascal.
29 children by myself would really have sent me into a nervous breakdown! We have to have a ratio of 6 children to one adult so I did have 4 helpers but as the teacher I was responsible for overall safety and organisation. Another class also went to the zoo but we walked in opposite directions around the site. Exmoor Zoo has a lot of very unusual smaller animals, my favourites are the red river hogs (not so small) and the enclosures are well thought out with plenty of space and suitable environments for the animals. They do have a pair of cheetahs but one of them has a deformed foot and would not survive in the wild.
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