Look what's in our own backyard!

Canada contains more than 70,000 described species within the terrestrial and marine realms. Many Canadians know more about exotic plants and animals, like palm trees and zebra's, than what's in their own backyard. Canadian wildlife is something to be enjoyed, admired and respected.

Each summer Zoo Camp kids are asked to report any wild species they discover, both on the zoo grounds and in a nearby forest. Everything from butterfly's and trees to Great Horned Owl pellets and racoon footprints, have been found and photo-documented. This census allows children to become familiar with the local flora and fauna.

This data also gives us some idea of the biodiversity- the variety of living organisms- living in our region. This is an excellent way to monitor the health of our environment.

Are zoo's really necessary?

Unfortunately, yes. Zoos are acting as an emergency response compelled by an international crisis- the current rampant loss of life on Earth. Most scientists agree that we're losing approximately 30,000 plants and animals to extinction every year- one every 18 minutes!

Skeptical? The "hard" data is foreboding. The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species shows that 17,291 species out of the 47,677 assessed species are threatened with extinction. These are only those that we have studied. Millions more have yet to be discovered.

Nature provides us, Homo sapiens, with clean air, fresh water, soil fertility and other necessities. Also, much of our emotional and spiritual development, our culture, was founded on our experiences and close relationship with nature. This serious loss of biodiversity, caused by human activities, is a serious threat to our surival.

Zoos are not a solution to this problem, just one of many tools in the effort to save our planet. Aside from their insitu and exsitu wildlife preservation, conservation, and restoration efforts, zoos offer us the opportunity to develop an understanding and relationship with the other life forms we share this planet with. It's an experience that is hoped will inspire concern and ecourage environmentally responsible behaviour.

Safari Zoo Camp's program is designed to inspire and encourage participants to become socially and environmentally responsible citizens. There is definitely a lasting emotional impact when working directly with animals that may become extinct in the next decade! We encourage campers to take an active roll in securing their future and not leave it up to those that compromised it in the first place.

During the summer months, Safari Zoo Camp is actively involved in improving the world we live in. Projects include:

• PUBLIC EDUCATION: Wildlife Presentations- Zoo Camp works hard to strengthen the relationship between modern society and nature by offering Wildlife Presentations throughout the summer season for community events and organizations. The 45-minute presentation is both informative and entertaining, captivating viewers with an array of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, spiders and insects from around the world. [if you are a local community service organization, please feel free to contact us for more details]


• PUBLIC EDUCATION: Guided Feeding Tour- The best time for the public to visit the park, Jungle Cat World, is during the guided feeding tour when all the animals become active! Once or twice each week, Zoo Camp replaces the zoo staff, doing everything from food preparation (messy!), to feeding the big animals and teaching the public about them. Again, the message is clear. These animals are going extinct and by making changes in the way we live, we can save them! It starts at 1:30pm daily, beginning with the African Lions, followed by the Cougars, River Otters, Amur Tigers, Eurasian Lynx, Gray Wolves, Snow Leopards, Amur Leopard and Jaguars. Some of the smaller animals fed along the way include the Ocelot, Bobcat, Caracal, Red-tailed Hawk and Red Foxes. Primates, such as the Capuchin, Spider Monkeys, Ring-tailed Lemurs and Gibbons are fed afterwards.


• DIRECT ACTION: Warsaw Caves- We collect and remove bags of garbage each summer, separating recyclable material and toxic items, such as flashlight batteries, for appropriate processing. Cleaning not only improves the aesthetic value of the caves, but also removes potentially dangerous materials. Items as broken glass and plastic wrapping are a potential threat to wildlife that use the grottos as homes, including porcupines, raccoons and garter snakes.


• DIRECT ACTION: Lakeshore Clean Up- Zoo Camp is only a few kilometers from one of the world's largest fresh water lakes. Unfortunately, like all the Great Lakes, it has been contaminated, mostly through urban development, industrialization and farming. We scour the shores collecting litter, a hazard to both wildlife and local citizens.

HOME | CAMPERS | PARENTS | STAFF | OFFICE | NATURE
3667 Concession Road 6, P.O. Box 370, Orono, Ontario, L0B 1M0, Canada
phone: (905)983-8217 | fax: (905)983-9858
http://www.zoocamp.com | email: info@zoocamp.com
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Last updated December 26, 2009