Summer Camps 2006

Getting out in the park and meeting different keepers was a great chance for us to learn about the amazing animals that we have at NC Zoo. Here the kids are talking with our swamp keeper, Paul, to learn all about the American Alligator. We also got to meet and talk to keepers at our sea lion, chimp and Australian exhibits.

Some activities are bigger than you could ever imagine!

Here our Savanna campers get to measure and draw a life size elephant. As you can see we all fit inside rather comfortably – and this is just a 2D drawing!

Everybody gets something out of a day at camp…

In the top picture our campers are making bat boxes to hang in their backyard and at the bottom is just one of the animals we made for enrichment for our cougars. The keepers put food inside these animals and then the cougars “hunt them”, like they would in the wild. This helps to encourage their natural behavior.

This year many campers got to meet some cool zoo residents, that don’t live in an exhibit. These special creatures are native North Carolina animals that are used in education programs. These animals, like Butterscotch, a yellow rat snake, reside at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Some animals that come to the rehab center get special treatment from vet staff and volunteers and are released back into the wild.

The games we got to play at camp were not only fun, they also helped us learn some really cool stuff.  We were water molecules moving throughthe water cycle; investigators, discovering nature; animals hiding out from predators; and sometimes just crazy kids on the move.

This is just a snapshot of the adventures that we had at our 2006 summer camps. We hope to see you all next year for more fun and adventures.

In the meantime, don’t forget to check our website for other special adventures.