SUMMER ISSUE 2020 HEY KIDS! Check out our competition on the back page
Snow Leopards page 10
NEW KIDS BLOCK! ON THE
Learn about the
BRUSH-TAILED ROCK-WALLABY page 2
INSIDE »
• Animal gym
• Bird spotting
• Feeding time
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HI, MY HUMAN FRIENDS! Welcome to this issue of Zooper Kids. I’m Joey the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby. I live in rugged, rocky areas and can bound great distances, up and across rocky terrain. I have small ears and a big, bushy tail that helps me balance. I’m part of Zoos Victoria’s campaign to fight extinction of critically endangered Australian animals. You might see me hopping around on some of the activity pages.
FACT FILE
BRUSH-TAILED ROCK-WALLABY: Eats: native grass, fruit from
shrubs and sometimes roots and tree bark.
Habits: shelters in caves and
DID YOU KNOW?
hangs out on rocky cliffs.
Where they live: Queensland,
There are fewer than 50 Brush-tailed Rockwallabies recorded in the wild.
New South Wales and Victoria.
The biggest threats they face are: changes to their habitat, feral cats, bushfires, foxes and goats.
Their conservation status is: Critically Endangered
Zooper Kids is published for Zoos Victoria by Hardie Grant Media MANAGING DIRECTOR Nick Hardie-Grant ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Scott Elmslie ACCOUNT MANAGER Hannah Louey EDITOR Georgia Lejeune
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Zoos Victoria PO Box 74, Parkville Vic 3052 P 03 9340 2780 / F 03 9285 9390 E members@zoo.org.au W zoo.org.au
DESIGN Dallas Budde, Natalie Lachina, Kate Slattery
Connect with us! Have you visited us lately? Share your visit with us and be sure to use the hashtag #zoomember
Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies are shy and well-camouflaged. Sometimes people call me ‘the shadow’ as the only time you’ll spot me is when I’m moving swiftly through the trees.
CAN YOU FIND Joey's CORRECT SHADOW? DID YOU KNOW? Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies were thought to be extinct until they were spotted again in the wild in the 1930s.
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To fundraise for wildlife visit zoo.org.au/donate/ fundraise-for-wildlife Printed on 100% recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. Zoos Victoria is a carbon-neutral organisation.
For tips on how you can organise an event or raise funds at school, visit the website above. You can also donate directly to the bushfire appeal via this link zoo.org.au/donate
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A N MA L YM SIAMAN GD ISIDOR A AD N DAUGHTE D R K EM AL A LO THE ROP VE ES
HOW MANY CHIN-UPS CAN YOU DO? A.
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1 ANIMAL RACES Challenge your friends or siblings to an animal race! Find out who’s the quickest at frog jumps or who can jump the furthest as a kangaroo. Use your imagination and come up with some outdoor challenges that will test your speed, balance and flexibility.
DID YOU KNOW? A red kangaroo can reach speeds of over 56 kilometres an hour. Their bounding jump allows them to cover 7.6 metres in a single leap.
DID YOU KNOW?
For enrichment, our meerkats love digging in sand and climbing on rocks but also playing in the ball pit!
2 ANIMAL YOGA See how many animal yoga poses you can do! Grab a yoga mat or find some soft grass (or even carpet) and a water bottle. Try to hold each position for at least 10 seconds, breathing deeply in and out while you stretch.
Butterfly pose
THE SNAKE
Snake pose
Butterfly pose
Lie flat on your stomach, pull your elbows in close to your sides and lift your head, shoulders and torso off the ground. Be careful to take it slowly Snake pose and not strain your back. Giraffe pose Stick your tongue Dog out pose Butterfly pose and hiss like a snake. ls enjoy Much like people, anima Giraffe pose rribee We at s, rse cou le obstac a re’s the o Open Range Zo . snake obstacle course
DID YOU KNOW?
Giraffe pose
Giraffe pose THE BUTTERFLY
Sit upright with the bottoms of your feet Monkey pose together. Your bent knees will resemble the wings of a butterfly. Hold onto your ankles and flap your butterfly wings.
Snake pose Butterfly pose
Giraffe pose
Giraffe pose
Monkey pose Dog pose Giraffe pose
Butterfly pose
Monkey pose
Giraffe pose
Giraffe pose
Dog pose
THE DOG Place hands and feet on the ground (about three steps between hands and feet). Raise your bottom into the air so that your body creates a bridge shape. Try to keep arms and legs straight.
Snake pose
THE MONKEY Sit upright with legs crossed in front. Make hands into fists and move arms up and down in semi-circles (starting at your head and finishing at your side) – alternate hands starting one up and one down, then swap. Laugh like a monkey!
THE GIRAFFE
Monkey pose
Dog pose
Stand tall, take one foot off the ground and place it next to your knee – you may need to hold onto something solid for balance. If you can balance without falling, take your hands above your head and join palms together. Watch out for the wobble!
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AVAILABLE FROM ALL ZOOS VICTORIA SHOPS AND ONLINE AT $21.25 SHOP.ZOO.ORG.AU FOR MEMBERS
I am an Eastern Barred Bandicoot. My species is found only in Australia and nowhere else in the world. We are also one of Australia’s most threatened species, and are in great danger of being lost forever. I have a long, tapered nose, thin whiskers, sharp claws for digging, a stripy pattern on my rump and a short tail.
I AM AN EASTERN BARRED BANDICOOT.
Bandicoot Design_220mm x 285mm_Pages.indd 6
My species is found only in Australia and nowhere else in the world. We are also one of Australia’s most threatened species, and are in great danger of being lost forever.
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I HAVE A... ...long, tapered nose, thin whiskers, sharp claws for digging, a stripy pattern on my rump and a short tail.
long tapered nose
stripy pattern
short tail
thin whiskers sharp claws
WE USUALLY LIVE FOR ABOUT TWO TO THREE YEARS. This means that we grow and mature very quickly. At just three months of age, females are old enough to have their own babies. We have one of the shortest pregnancies of any mammal – just twelve-and-a-half days. When conditions are good, we can have two to three babies at a time. Our babies drink their mother’s milk while snuggling in a backwards-facing pouch. The pouch also protects us, because we are only the size of a jellybean when we are born.
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BOUNCING BACK
WE EAT A WIDE VARIETY OF FOODS.
AN EASTERN BARRED BANDICOOT STORY Written by Rohan Cleave and illustrated by Coral Tulloch.
This is an excerpt from the book, which is available to buy from our zoo store!
These include...
...MOTHS, BEETLES, CRICKETS, We eat a EARTHWORMS, moths, be
grasshopp GRASSHOPPERS, AND INSECT LARVAE.
WE ALSO EAT SOME... We eat a wide variety of foods. These include moths, beetles, crickets, earthworms,
DID YOU
grasshoppers KNOW? and insect larvae. The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is native to Tasmania and Victoria!
Delicious!
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...ROOTS SEEDS AND GRASSES.
WE BUILD NESTS ON THE GROUND OUT OF... ...GRASSES LEAVES AND TWIGS. For you the nests would be very hard to see, but forWe usbuild nests on the ground out of grasses, leaves and twigs. they provide the perfect shelter Fortoyou they would be very hard to see, but for us they provide protect us during the perfect shelter to protect us during the day. the day. We have a home range where we build a few different nesting sites. When night comes, we emerge from the shadows under
When night comes, we the cover of darkness, exploring and emerge feeding, hidingfrom the shadows from our predators. under the cover of darkness, exploring and feeding, hiding from our predators.
ild nests on the ground out of grasses, leaves and twigs.
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ve a home range where we build a few different
g sites.
Bandicoot Design_220mm x 285mm_Pages.indd 13
AVAILABLE FROM ALL ZOOS VICTORIA SHOPS AND ONLINE AT SHOP.ZOO.ORG.AU 14/12/2017 1:22 pm
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14/12/2017 1:22 pm
SNOW
Leopards SAY HELLO TO THE SUPER-CUTE SNOW LEOPARD SIBLINGS SIKARI, ASHA AND MANJU. SIKARI is the only boy cub and his name means hunter. Along with his sisters, ASHA (meaning hope) and MANJU (meaning snow), the three cubs love rolling around and jumping on each other for fun.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Snow Leopard cubs don’t open their eyes until they are seven days old.
LET’S WRITE!
WRITING PRACTISE YOUR ESE BY TRACING TH LETTERS
Asha
FACT FILE
SNOW LEOPARDS:
YES!
Where: Snow Leopards
in the wild live in high mountain ranges across Asia. They are native to countries around the Himalayas.
Manju
CAN YOU HELP THE CUBS GET THROUGH THE MAZE TO THEIR MUM?
Status? Currently listed
as vulnerable. It’s hard to know exactly how many are left in the wild because they are typically shy and great at hiding.
Sikari
Diet: Snow Leopards are
carnivorous (meaning they eat meat). The cubs drink milk from their mother until they are old enough (around two months) to start eating meat.
How high? Adult Snow
Leopards can leap up to 6m high. They use their long tails for balance.
Miska
ROFL! Q: Why does the Snow Leopard always lose at hide and seek? A: It’s always spotted.
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COLOUR ME IN!
MAKE YOUR OWN
binoculars
To become an expert backyard bird spotter you’ll need a set of binoculars. Get crafty and make some at home.
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Begin by connecting your toilet paper rolls with PVA glue. Wait for the glue to dry before continuing to the next step.
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Use cardboard or paper to cover the binoculars. Wrap the paper around the width and trim off the excess paper with scissors. Use glue to secure it to the rolls and tape ends together.
Measure and cut your string so it fits around your neck. Then use scissors to cut a small hole on the outside edge of each roll about a 3cm from the top.
DID YOU KNOW?
People who like to go bird spotting are called twitchers. Grab a group of friends, your bird bingo sheet and your binoculars and go twitching around your local area. If you’re quiet, you might spot something rare.
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Decorate your binoculars however you choose! You can paint them, colour them with crayons, markers or pom poms. There is no wrong way to do this step!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED Glue and sticky tape Two toilet paper rolls Scissors
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Take one end of your string and thread it through the hole you made. Tie a knot to secure. Repeat with the other side of the string. Done!
Y arn or thick string Coloured paper/ colouring pens/ embellishments to decorate
Bird spotting
DID YOU KNOW?
Spirits of the Sky runs twice daily at Healesville Sanctuary and is included with your general admission! See the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Black-breasted Buzzard, parrots and other amazing birds like never before.
B I N G O Go for a walk around your local neighbourhood and see how many of these native Australian birds you can spy. Make it a game with friends or siblings: whoever sees all of the birds on their bingo sheet wins.
SILVER GULL These chip thieves are a native species – and the most common gull found in Australia. They can be found all over the country but more commonly in coastal areas.
RAINBOW LORIKEET You might hear these noisy birds before you see them. Colourful and highly sociable, you’ll certainly notice the big flocks of these rainbow birds feeding on the nectar from flowering trees.
LITTLE BLACK CORMORANT Completely black in colour, these natural born swimmers can often be seen diving deep to catch fish. You might spot them sitting on a rock drying their wings out in between swims.
WILLIE WAGTAIL With a tail almost as long as its body, it’s easy to spot these dancing birds. Known to the Bunurong tribe as Djirri-Djirri.
BLACK SWAN You might find these sleek creatures on lakes or rivers – usually with their head in the water and tail feathers up to the sky. The name given to these birds by the Bunurong tribe (part of the Kulin nation) is Gunawarra.
RED WATTLEBIRD You may spot this honeyeater feeding on nectar from flowering eucalyptus and other flowering plants.
AUSTRALIAN MAGPIE
LAUGHING KOOKABURRA The hearty laugh of this iconic Australian bird will bring a smile to your face. Known to the Bunurong tribe as Tharowerag, its brown and white feathers allow this trickster to camouflage in bushland.
An Australian staple, these black and white birds are known for their melodic song and for swooping passing bike riders and walkers. Spring is their nesting season and when they’re more likely to become defensive.
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FEEDING
TIME ZOO
DID YOU KNOW?
It’s our favourite time of day. Check out what the animals are eating.
WORD SEARCH
DID YOU KNOW?
Can you find the words listed below hidden in the grid of letters?
Some of our animals have favourite snacks. urne Zoo The baboons at Melbo ons. oni raw love eating
Butterflies can only eat liquids, which they suck up through a proboscis – which is like The penguins go crazy over a straw. They a fish called a pilchard, receive all which provides lots of their nutrition, nutrition for them. munching through leaves, as caterpillars.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SNACK?
A.
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Giraffes are the tallest land animals.
They could be up, down, diagonal, horizontal or backwards.
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Snack
Browse
Vegetables
Pilchards
Animals
Grazing
Moth
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Pellet
Nutritious
WORDS TO FIND
CAN YOU MATCH THE ANIMAL TO THE FOOD THEY EAT?
Giraffe
Mountain Pygmy-possum
Ants
Flowers
Butterfly
Gorilla
Acacia leaves
Bogong Moth
Echidna
Vegetables
FEEDING TIME at home Follow these easy recipes to create a little animal-inspired snack at home
ANTS ON A LOG
TIGER TOAST
Ingredients
Ingredients
• Sticks of celery • Peanut butter • Sultanas
• • • •
Wash and cut your celery sticks to remove the leaves. Spread the peanut butter onto the centre of the celery stick (filling the middle from top to bottom). Place the sultanas along the celery stick so that they look like ants crawling up a log.
Lightly toast the bread in the toaster. Spread on the butter and Vegemite. Cut the cheese into strips and place them on the toast – at a finger-width apart, so that it looks like stripes next to the Vegemite. Toast under the grill until the cheese is melted.
Echidnas at Healesville Sanctuary love eating peanut butter as a treat.
GET CREATIVE are there any other animals you can make using toast?
Bread Vegemite Cheese Butter
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR winners! WOW!
THANKS FOR YOUR ENTRIES. To enter into our next competition, send your picture to:
SIENNA AGED 11 LION PACK WINNER
zooperkids@zoo.org.au
OR Zooper Kids Magazine PO Box 74, Parkville VIC 3052
See back page for all the competition details
PANDA PACK WINNER
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EVIE AGED 11
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Puzzle
ANSWERS
OLIVIA AGED 8 OWL PACK WINNER
PAGE 3 1 Joey’s shaddow is number 6
PAGE 11
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This is how the Snow Leopard cubs found their mum.
MEERKAT PACK WINNER
ALEXANDER AGED 9
PAGE 14 Did you find all of the words in the search?
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PAGE 18 Little John weighs 188kgs
We love getting your pictures and letters!
MAKE YOUR OWN
SEA
Turtles Don’t throw away your egg cartons. Follow these steps to make your own egg-cup sea turtles. Ask an adult to help you cut out the shapes
DID YOU KNOW?
WHAT YOU’LL NEED Craft glue An egg carton Scissors Green paint
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Green paper Googly eyes Pom pom
Thanks to years of working alongside our keepers, Little John and the other Aldabra Giant Tortoises now participate in their own health care by choosing to walk, without help from Keepers, onto the scales.
CAN YOU GUESS HOW MUCH HE WEIGHS? A.
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Ask an adult to cut your turtle “shells” from an egg carton. Individually cut around each cup to create the shell.
Paint each turtle shell green and decorate it using any embellishments you’ve collected (or you could draw on it).
Using the template below as a guide, cut out four legs and a triangle tail from some green paper or felt.
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Glue the underside of the turtle shell and adhere to the turtle legs and tail.
Add a pom pom for the head and glue it onto the top of the shell (opposite end from the tail triangle).
Glue two googly eyes onto the pompom head.
7 Your first turtle is finished. What adventures will your sea turtles have today?
Use this help template to le rt tu e make th s ie d bo
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COMPETITION TIME! SOUTHERN CORROBOREE FROG PRIZE PACK
ED BANDICOOT EASTERN BAPRIRR ZE PACK $56 VALUE
$56 VALUE
GIVEAWAY!
SIZLOE PATHCK
PR
$67 VALUE
WE HAVE FOUR FANTASTIC PRIZE PACKS TO GIVE AWAY THIS ISSUE…
KOOKABURRA PRIZE PACK
$52 VALUE
If you’d like a chance to win, send a letter or drawing to enter. Send yours to: zooperkids@zoo.org.au
OR Zooper Kids Magazine PO Box 74, Parkville VIC 3052
Good LUCK!
ENtries close 31 January, 2021 so get in quick! This competition is open to Zoos Victoria Members under the age of 18 with consent of a parent/guardian. Entries will be judged on individual merit and winners notified by phone or email. All entries become the property of Zoos Victoria and will not be returned to the entrants. Prizes are subject to change and cannot be transferred or redeemed for cash. Winners will be announced in the next edition of Zooper Kids.