August 23, 2007
By Lesego Madumo
A ROWDY owl championed by singings birds and the clamour of visiting schoolchildren greeted the opening of Johannesburg Zoo's Discovery Centre, focused on wildlife conservation, on Wednesday, 22 August.
Established in the old restaurant building next to the zoo's public entrance, it is the first centre of its kind at a Gauteng zoo.
Exhibitions will be changed every six months, with the centre targeted at schoolchildren under eight. Regularly changing the exhibits will enable the young visitors to explore new things. The first theme is body coverings; it will be followed by frogs.
The building's walls are covered with murals of the animals housed at the zoo; and pot plants in the foyer give a freshness to the entrance, which is guarded by a carved lioness.
An unusual visitor in Africa: the Siberian tiger
Along the right side of the building a concourse is filled with authentic-looking, camouflaged animals; they are very scary - ready to eat whatever comes their way. Visitors are able to feel and smell their fur and skin – there are white lion, wild dog, black-footed cat, Siberian tiger and reptiles among other animals in the touch-and-feel display.
The centre will also hold educational workshops, wildlife shows and animal demonstrations; there is also a Discovery Shop.
Dedicated to learning
According to Jenny Gray, the chief executive officer of the Johannesburg Zoo, the centre is dedicated to educating schoolchildren, assisting teachers with animal information and increasing public understanding of wildlife conservation.
"The educating will be done through exciting, interactive, fun exhibits and educational programmes." She reiterated that the themes would be changed regularly to include all wildlife elements.
The idea for the Discovery Centre stemmed from the zoo's education unit, and the decision was taken to use the vacant space for educational programmes. The zoo wanted to give visiting children much more than simply allowing them to run around the premises, she explained.
The centre would emphasise the information they would learn while running around the zoo. "As they run around they get to see messages that will reinforce what they have learned during the education displays at the centre."
It targeted schoolchildren "because this bunch is always ready and excited about visiting the zoo".
Sneaking in for a peak, the member of the mayoral committee for environment, Prema Naidoo, said that the centre was a great idea that he hoped kids would learn to love and appreciate.
And then, scores of schoolchildren raced into the centre to discover what it was all about - all squealing, touching and embracing the camouflaged animals. They posed for photographs and teased each other, all in the name of learning.
Discovering wild life at the Johannesburg Zoo
The Johannesburg Zoo is 103 years old and cares for almost 2 000 animals from 160 different species. It is on Jan Smuts Avenue, in Parkview. The main entrance is in Upper Park Drive, Forest Town. For more information, contact 011 646 200.
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