Week 8 was a blast with campers from all different weeks reunited! Not to mention we learned some pretty cool stuff!

Chimp--This was the day that many of the campers were looking most forward to, and boy did it prove to be an exciting day! We started the day by making enrichments, which is something that is given to the chimps every day. Basically an enrichment is something out of the ordinary from the regular stuff they get. Some examples of enrichments are hammocks, toys, and different types of foods. (The Chimps love candy!) We took paper towel tubes and filled them with bunches of goodies and decorated them with non-toxic markers. Then we drove out to the chimp islands where we met up with the chimp keepers and Terry Wolf. Terry took the boat out to the island and gave them our enrichment. They had a lot of fun with them, but seemed to prefer using our plastic bag as a cape! Terry talked to us about chimp, the habitat they have in the wild and how it compares to that at LCS. It was a lot of fun!

Flamingo--We met up with a Bird Keeper at the Flamingo exhibit, where we observed half a dozen sleeping flamingos. It was really neat to see them sleep because they tuck one foot up under the feathers and put their beaks under their wings. Their necks sure are flexible. We learned that they have a pinkish coloring to their feathers due to their diet of shrimp. There are other birds that also turn that color. If they were to loose the chemical found in the shrimp their feathers would turn white. They travel in flocks, and keep to a group schedule. They wake up at the same time, dine at the same time, and sleep at the same time. Pretty cool and cute creatures.

Iguana--Melissa, a keeper at LCS, met Group 7 at the Iguana moat for a fun adventure in iguanas. We started by learning about the types of food iguanas like to eat, such as leafy greens. They have long tails and stumpy bodies. They are excellent climbers and go up about 6 stories (60 ft) and can just from that height without getting hurt! Then Melissa entered the enclosure and caught one of the iguanas for us to look at up close and to feel. It was really neat. They are excellent swimmers and use their tails to help them move around more swiftly.

Animal Theater--This was a busy day for us! We started with chores, just like what the education staff members do every day. We cleaned out the rooster's cage and cleaned out some birdcages. Then we prepared for our big show. Everyday at LCS we have educational shows that bring the guests up close to various animals. Today the show we participated in used the Ball Python and the Solomon Island Skink. Each child was given a couple of lines to talk about each animal. It was a great way to learn about the animals!

Trees--Tree was neat. We took a tour of the nature walk, where we saw many different kids of trees. Some were native to the area and others like the bamboo were from the other side of the world. For our craft that day we did our little bit in conservation. We took small plant pots and decorated them with paint. Then they were filled with soil and seeds to grow baby blue spruces. The project turned out great and I just know some of the campers will have a great baby tree in a few months!

Whales-- On Thursday, a special event happened at Safari Day Camp! All of the campers were brought to a large open field to see a giant life size whale replica and compare it to things on dry land! The day before we had a talk on whales: size, different types, how they eat and breathe. The campers found it absolutely amazing how they use baleen to eat plankton. The whale replica was made of thin sheets of plastic. It was really cool because we got to see how large a whale's eye really is and just how long it is. They sure must take up a lot of room in the ocean. We'd like to thank everyone who helped make this fabulous experience possible. We loved it more than you'll ever know!