Zooper Kids - Spring 2023

GORILLA

RAINFOREST walk

HAVE FUN COMPLETING THIS ACTIVITY THE NEXT TIME YOU VISIT MELBOURNE ZOO’S GORILLA RAINFOREST!

HOP TO IT!

I’m a Southern Bent-winged Bat. Let’s learn about the animals at Melbourne Zoo’s Gorilla Rainforest!

A.

1. WHAT COLOUR IS THE COTTON-TOP TAMARIN’S HEAD CREST?

A.

2. HOW MANY WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS LIVE AT MELBOURNE ZOO?

3. IN WHICH CONTINENT WILL YOU FIND BLACK-HANDED SPIDER MONKEYS IN THE WILD?

A.

For a digital guide to the animals and their habitats: Click here

4. WHAT IS THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE WHITE-CHEEKED GIBBON?

A.

Answers on page 17

is published

Cassowary

ygmy Hippopotamus

MELBOURNE ZOO

Tree-top Apes & Monkeys

DID YOU KNOW?

The black-and white Colobus are one of the only monkeys that don’t have thumbs

GORILLA RAINFOREST

Gorilla Ranger Station

Gorillas

DID YOU KNOW?

The Pygmy Hippopotamus is half the size of their larger hippo relatives

Lemurs

DID YOU KNOW?

Madagascar is the only place in the world where you can find Lemurs in the wild

GORILLA BEHIND THE SCENES

9:15am daily

$82 for Zoo Members

KEEPER TALK (PYGMY HIPPO)

4pm daily FREE

LEMUR ENCOUNTER

3:00pm daily

$53 for Zoo Members

COLOUR-ME-IN YELLOW-TAILED BLACK-COCKATOO

DID YOU KNOW?

Lots of different native bird species build their nests in the hollows of big, old and dead trees. Here’s some Australian bird species that need tree hollows to survive.

YELLOW-TAILED BLACK-COCKATOO

SULPHUR-CRESTED COCKATOO

RED-TAILED BLACK-COCKATOO

Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoos build their nests in hollows of big, old trees. That’s why it’s important that we don’t cut down old trees to make toilet paper. Choosing recycled toilet paper helps native animals that need tree hollows to nest in.

save a species How to help

Zoos

member Arabella is doing all that she can to support the Critically Endangered Leadbeater’s Possum

Victoria

FIND YOUR FAVOURITE SPECIES

First, Arabella looked on the Zoos Victoria website to see all the native species that need help. After thinking about it for a while, she chose the Critically Endangered Leadbeater’s Possum.

START RAISING MONEY

Arabella set a big target of raising $10,000 to donate to Zoos Victoria’s Leadbeater’s Possum program. She did many different things to encourage people to donate, like having fun events at school and asking people to donate money instead of giving her birthday gifts.

Arabella is nine years old and lives in Melbourne. She wanted to support Australian threatened species, so she raised money for the Critically Endangered Leadbeater’s Possum. Here’s how Arabella did it, and you can too:

SPEAK UP

DID YOU KNOW?

The Leadbeater’s Possum is the state of Victoria’s faunal emblem

If you don’t want to raise money, there are other things you can do to support threatened species. Create a classroom presentation on your favourite species, share your knowledge with your friends and family, or write a letter to your local newspaper to raise community awareness for your chosen species.

ASK FOR HELP

Arabella says that you don’t have to do it all alone. Ask your parents, grandparents, carers, neighbours, teachers or siblings for help organising events or coming up with ideas to raise money or awareness for your favourite species.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT AFRICAN

CUTE CUBS

Since three lion cubs have joined the pride at Werribee Open Range Zoo, Let’s have fun learning all about lions!

In very exciting news, mother Nilo and father Sheru recently welcomed three lion cubs (a girl and two boys) to the pride at Werribee Open Range Zoo. After spending some quiet time bonding with their parents, this terrific trio are now exploring their habitat a bit more so can be seen wandering and playing at their home on the African River Trail.

African lions are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. This means that their wild population is shrinking, mostly due to threats like habitat loss and poaching. Because of this, breeding and conservation programs are really important to the future of this species.

Extinct Least Concern Threatened African Lions are vulnerable

Fact file Feline

NAME GAME

Lion cubs are sometimes also called lionets.

VULNERABLE SPECIES

Only around 39,000 lions remain in the wild in sub-Saharan Africa.

SLEEPY TIME

Newborn cubs like to snooze! They spend up to 20 hours of the day sleeping or resting.

GREAT GAINS

VIP ZONE

Newborn cubs weigh around 1.5 kilograms but will weigh about 34 kilograms by the time they’re six months old.

Visit zoo.org.au/member-vip-zone to find out when you can see the lion cubs and what fun activities you can do at Werribee Open Range Zoo this school holidays.

VISIT THE PRIDE

See the lion cubs along Werribee Open Range Zoo’s African River Trail!

TORTOISE TOAST ZOOPER KITCHEN

Make the most of your toast and turn it into a tasty tortoise!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED DID YOU KNOW?

Half an avocado

Cucumber

Slice of bread or half an English muffin

Spreadable cream cheese

Sultanas

Aldabra Giant Tortoises can live up to 200 years!

Don’t forget to compost your veggie scraps!

Remember to always ask an adult for help when using a knife.

Ask an adult to help you cut an avocado in half. Remove the seed and skin, then carefully put the avocado half cut side down on top of the cream cheese toast. 3

See Wilbur and the other Aldabra Giant Tortoises at Melbourne Zoo

Cut a round slice of cucumber off, then cut that slice into four equal pieces. 6

Toast your bread (or English muffin) in the toaster.

Carefully slice a few lines into the back of the avocado running up and down, side to side. 4

Put those pieces under the four corners of the avocado to make the tortoise’s front and back feet. 7

Spread some cream cheese over the toast.

5

Cut the end off the cucumber, then place it at one end of the avocado to make the tortoise’s head.

8

Put two small blobs of cream cheese on the tortoise’s cucumber head to make the eyes. Finish the eyes by adding a sultana chopped in half over each eye.

PUDDING CHIA

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

2 tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup almond or oat milk

1 tsp sweetener, e.g. honey or maple syrup

Favourite fruit toppings, e.g. blueberries, strawberries, bananas, mango

1

2

3

Pour the chia seeds, milk and sweetener into a glass jar or small dessert dish.

Stir the ingredients with a spoon until well combined. Cover with a lid and put in the fridge for 2 hours (or more).

Take it out of the fridge, top with your favourite fruits and enjoy eating it with a spoon.

TOP TIP

Reuse glass jars by cleaning them with hot, soapy water, then use them to make chia puddings and other recipes.

AUSTRALIAN NATIVE SPECIES SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

ILLUSTRATION

BY GREGORY ROBERTS

September 7th is National Threatened Species Day, a special day to celebrate some of our rarest animals. Can you spot the 11 differences between these two pictures highlighting some Australian threatened species? Answers on Page 17

ZOOPER KIDS GARDENING CLUB BEE BATH Make a

Did you know that just like birds, bees get thirsty too? Bring pollinating bees to your backyard this spring by making a bee bath.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

A saucer or shallow dish

A few handfuls of pebbles or rocks of different sizes

Water

Find a saucer or shallow dish. If you don’t have one at home, op shops are a great place to find things to reuse and upcycle.

Fill the bath with water. Reposition rocks at different heights so that bees have a place to land.

Add the pebbles and rocks to the bath so that the bottom is completely covered.

NATIVE PLANTS guessing game

You’ll see more bees and butterflies flying around flowers and plants in spring.

Can you guess the names of these Australian native plants?

DID YOU KNOW?

Bees and butterflies are good for your garden because they help to pollinate plants

Answers on page 17

Make your own

PAPER PLATEsnake

DID YOU KNOW?

Snakes use their tongue to smell. When they flick their tongue they are collecting scents from the air!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Paper plate

Green paint

Red paper

Paintbrush

Scissors

Glue Googly eyes

String or twine

STEPS

1

Use green paint to paint the surface of the paper plate.

4

Glue two googly eyes on the centre of the snake to complete its face.

7

Lift up the twine to make the snake slither and move.

2

Once the paint is totally dry, cut a spiral from the outside to the centre of the paper plate.

5

With the tip of the scissors, poke a small hole above the snake’s eyes.

3

Carefully cut a tongue out of red paper and glue it to the back of the centre spiral.

6

Thread your twine or yarn through the hole, then double knot it at the back of the snake’s head.

Visit Kyabram Fauna Park’s new Reptile Habitat to see snake species like the Tiger Snake, Common Death Adder and the world’s most venomous snake, the Inland Taipan.

DON’T FORGET TO GIVE YOUR SNAKE A NAME!