Below you can learn about our days at Safari Day Camp. Week 3 sure was a fun week; we learned so much about animals! Below you will find photos of the campers and Skittles, a Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot!

Elephant-- Today was our day to drive out in the preserve. Before we even made it to the elephants we saw many different types of animals such as buffalo, Dall's sheep, Texas longhorns, watusi, blackbuck, ostrich, and Brazilian tapir. Once we got made it to Elephant Island, we observed LCS's 4 African elephants: Stumpy, Mama, Ladybird, and Bulwagi. We met up with Terry Wolf who talked to us about elephants. We learned that elephants are social animals and they travel and live in herds. Their diet consists of fruits and veggies, along with lots of hay and grain. One of the best parts was when we threw bagels to the elephants and they came charging into the water for a treat! They are magnificent animals.

Amazon Parrot-- After everyone arrived we got to work making treats, or enrichments, for the parrots at LCS. Ours consisted of peanut butter, pinecones, and birdseed. Everyone took two pinecones and lightly spread peanut butter inside. Then we sprinkled the seed all over it. After making 24 of the cones, we met up with Rhonda, Education Coordinator and Camp Director. She brought along a Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot named Skittles. After a short conversation with Skittles, we took a tour of Parrot Circle where we gave our treats to the birds. Boy were they excited! During the tour we learned about the different types of parrots and their favorite types of food.

Turtle-- In the Animal Theater, we met with an Education Assistant, Erin, and viewed the different types of turtles located in the walk-through area of the park. We observed the box turtle and the red footed tortoise up close and learned how they hide in their shell when in danger. Later found soft-shelled turtles in the alligator area. Their necks are so long they look like snakes in the water!

Nursery Keeper-- Nursery Keeper Day isn't always what people expect it to be. Yes we do see some baby animals, but for the most part the babies are kept with their mothers to give them as natural of a setting as possible. It was our job that morning to put together the food bowls for the birds. We had a relay race where we each added different items for the bowls. It ended up being a close match. Then we followed Leigh as she gave the food to the animals. We also walked around the petting zoo to look at and feed the animals.

Butterfly--Safari Day Camp brought in the Butterfly Lady to talk to the groups. We learned about the stages of life the butterfly encounters. We were able to hold caterpillars and a few of us were lucky to have them go to the bathroom on us. (It is a sign of good luck!) Then we looked at the chrysalis where they change into a butterfly. She brought along many different types of butterflies, many which are rare for the area. After the talk was over, she brought out her guitar and we had a "test" as we sang with her about butterflies.