School holidays are just another excuse for kids to visit the zoo. But the parents shouldn't sulk as there are host of fun-filled activities for the whole family to enjoy at
Victoria's three great zoos -
Werribee Open Range Zoo,
Melbourne Zoo and
Healesville Sanctuary.
These winter holidays explore the world of ‘Crocodilians' or check out the new Smugglers Beware exhibit and meet the newbie giraffes - Amani and Thembi. Participate in animal interactions and wildlife safari tours or get involved in games and crafts. Pick out a program from the hands-on School Holiday activities or celebrate the bravery, recovery and survival following the devastating Victorian bushfires.
For a great experience visit the Melbourne Zoo where the animals were recently treated to a snow-packed experience. Join the
Behind-the-Scenes program to become a Zoo V.I.P. as you enter the otherwise ‘do not enter’ zones and get up close and personal with elephants, lions, tigers, gorillas, reptiles or koalas. To get a real life experience of working in a zoo, get involved with the zookeepers or simply relish the ‘Kung Fu’ adventure as animals strut their stuff before a cheering audience.
Discover the world of
‘Crocodilians’ - crocodiles, alligators and gharials - as you see these awing creatures and learn how they survived the rigours of times while the more formidable of the species, dinosaurs, perished. The ‘Crocodilia’ school holiday programs run every day from June 27 to July 12, 2009.
And the fun doesn’t square off at the 5 to 12 years’ age group, there’s something to captivate every heart. For enquiries and bookings call 03-9285-9406 or check the
holiday programs online.
At the Werribee Open Range Zoo, you can get
‘Behind the Scenes’ experiences with hands-on animal interactions and safari tours. Learn how the animals stay snug in the frigid winter months or cool during the blistering summers. Not enough? Then you could probably participate in the ‘Race around the world’ to visit wild creatures from across the continents in a truly global adventure.
The
Smugglers Beware exhibit endeavours to fight against the vicious wildlife smuggling trade. Here you can see exotic animal species that are endangered, virulent and very deadly. For enquiries and bookings call 03-9285-9406 or check the
zoo adventure programs online.
Healesville Sanctuary has introduced a
Wildlife ER School Holiday program to last till July 12 – a program to extend their regards to all the people who did extraordinary things to safeguard and help the sanctuary during and after the Black Saturday. Meet the emergency service heroes, the amazing vets and special wildlife heroes or get involved in puzzles and games.
You could even join a new program,
Keeper for a Day, where you can work in tandem with the official zookeepers. The program is contrived to engage students - 9 years and above – in zookeeping tasks like, animal health checks, food preparation, egg sorting, animal handling et al.
For bookings call 5957-2818 or check the
school holiday programs online.
Visit any or all of the three zoos and be prepared for an action-packed day as there is heaps of fun in the offing.
