Storytime for zoo animals as part of World Book Day
Schoolchildren have been sharing their favourite tales with creatures at a Sussex wildlife park
Schoolchildren have been sharing their favourite stories with zoo animals - in celebration of World Book Day.
The group were invited, in fancy dress, to accompany keepers into enclosures at Drusillas Park near Alfriston and read aloud to animal residents.
The exercise forms part of the zoo’s animal enrichment programmes, introducing new and interesting things to explore to keep their minds stimulated.
7-year-old Rufus Campbell, dressed in a dinosaur onesie, had meerkats clambering on his lap to listen to him reading Tyrannosaurus Drip, whilst his younger brother, 4-year-old Dylan, wore his cat costume to read Tabby McTat to Coco the donkey in the Park’s farmyard.
6-year-old Ella Farley dressed as Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter to read the beavers Rumble in the Jungle, and her brother Angus, who's 4 dressed as Willy Wonka to read The Hungry Caterpillar to Augustus the capybara, and together they read to the Park’s group of inquisitive lemurs.
6-year-old Gilbert Poland showed off his favourite Avengers book to cheeky armadillos Patsy and Eddie, and his brother Hector, aged 9, dressed in full Gryffindor attire and matching wand, read from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as a special bedtime story for the park’s new baby sloth, Athena, and mum Halina.
Managing Director, Ollie Smith, commented:
"We pride ourselves in our educational offerings at Drusillas, from our school sessions and open days to the many educational interactives along our zoo route – our focus is always on having fun whilst learning and it’s lovely to encourage children to find the fun in reading.
"We know many schools challenge children to take photos reading in an unusual place, so we invited some children in to do just that!”