Educational School Trips in Bristol

There is no shortage of educational school trips in Bristol as the city is steeped in history and attractions.

School trip groups can learn about the masterful architectural vision of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the civil engineer who built the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Brunel’s Old Station and many other iconic buildings in Bristol.

They can also find out about more about the origins of Bristol including the questionable history of this city which built its wealth on the slave trade. The M Shed benefits from a spectacular location on the harbour and has recently dedicated a whole floor to an exhibition on the slave trade which showed the horrible conditions that the slaves were subjected to.

It also showed the valiant efforts of some local residents in protesting against the slave trade, and this was initially the reason why some upper class women stopped taking sugar in their tea!

How to choose your School Trips

With so much choice, choosing where to take you school pupils is not easy, but luckily local organisations have given some guidance on this. For instance there are some prestigious awards such as the Quality Badge from the national ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ scheme. This benchmark indicated to schools and colleges that they can find the quality teaching needed to get the most benefit from educational school trips.

School Trips at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall, Bristol, is one of the few zoos in the country to have been awarded this Quality Badge status. That means that it complies with the comprehensive Schools Programme of National Curriculum based workshops and learning resources. Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm have educational workshops that caters to the KS levels all the way up to A Level. After all, learning about nature is an important part of any school curriculum.

What’s more there is no need to leap before you look as Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm makes lesson planning so much easier thanks to free familiarisation visits. That means that teachers can take a tour of the site and see all the facilities on offer, whilst discussing their personal requirements with Education Officers.

Noah’s Ark has a range of hands-on and interactive workshops which are sure to engage and entertain your class, making for an unforgettable day out in Bristol.

Nest Boxes & Nibbles at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm will be doing its bit to help local birds this spring by inviting members of the public to join in making nibbles and nest boxes.

Taking place on Saturday, February 18th, this is an annual event which has proved very successful in the past.

This weekend is the British Trust for Ornithology National Nest Box Week and the RSPB is making a final call for anyone who has not started on their nest boxes yet to make plans.

The zoo farm is open between 10.30am to 5pm though the nest box sessions will take place in the Education Room at 1pm and 2pm.

While normal admission price applies, there will be a small charge of £3 to cover the materials necessary to make the nest boxes and the bird feed for those who want to partake.

Of course visitors will be able to use the full range of Noah’s Ark facilities during the day in what is the largest zoo in the South West of England. It has the longest hedge maze in Europe, massive indoor playgrounds and interactive areas where you can touch and feed the animals.

The nest box event will be very popular with educational school trips as Noah’s Ark holds the Quality Badge from the national ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ scheme.

We invite any local schools who are planning school trips to join us for an educational day out in Bristol.

Visitors can take advantage of other interactive experiences at Noah’s Ark such as the chance to be a zookeeper for the day with keeper experiences available for big zoo animals such as big cats, bookable online or by phone on 01275 852606.

Endangered Rhino Expects Baby

The pregnancy of a rhino which is on the verge of extinction is being closely monitored by the international community.

Ratu the Sumatran rhino is now entering the final quarter of her pregnancy in the Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia.

However nothing can be taken for granted as Ratu miscarried her last child and she has been given a hormone boost to help her deliver successfully this time.

The national park covers a rhino sanctuary which is monitored by the International Rhino Foundation but there are only three other rhinos present in it.

While Ratu is a wild rhino, the male Andalas was born in Cincinnati Zoo and rereleased into the sanctuary.

An Endangered Species

With only 200 Sumatran rhinos thought to be left in the wild, the species in on the critically endangered list. In such a case zoos play an important role in conservation because rhinos are constantly under threat in the wild. In the short term they are a target for poachers who can make huge amounts of money from their horns on the black market. In the long term their entire habitat is under threat as loggers destroy their tropical forest habitat.

Dr. Susie Ellis, the executive director of the International Rhino Foundation said: “We’ve got fingers crossed that everything will continue to go well and that Ratu will deliver a healthy baby sometime in late spring or early summer. This is important in the ongoing effort to protect Indonesia’s last remaining wild Sumatran rhinos.”

Breeding Rhinos at Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark also has two white rhinos, a male and female called Rumbull and Rumba, and the male has just reached sexual maturity. Zookeepers at Noah’s Ark will be hoping that they will also do their bit to help conserve the species. White Rhinos have been one of the largest successes of conservation efforts, numbers having been significantly boosted since the animals were considered endangered a decade ago. However there are only still around 17,000 of the southern white rhinos, while the northern species is virtually extinct.

If you want to learn more about the difference that conservation can make to wild animals, why not organise educational school trips here or participate in our zoo keeper experience days? Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm has a Quality Badge from the Learning Outside the Classroom Scheme.

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Zoo uses ‘Big Brother’ to look after Elephants

Educational schools trips and days out in Bristol will become more insightful thanks to ‘Big Brother’ technology at Europe’s largest elephant enclosure.

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm will deliver the best possible care to thousands of elephants in captivity by closely monitoring a herd of Asian elephants with extensive CCTV.

The Bristol zoo, located in Wraxall, will set up webcams in a spectacular £1.2 million elephant enclosure to constantly record the elephants’ routines.

Researchers can then closely study the footage to determine best practice for elephants in captivity including tending to their health and managing social interactions.

[ARTIST, NICK SHEWRING]

The results will be studied by academics and published, before being circulated to zoos and welfare charities in Europe.

Zoo owner Anthony Bush said: “Elephant Eden will be a new chapter in the history of elephant accommodation. It will be a destination of paradise for these wonderful creatures to ensure that elephants born into captivity receive a far better way of life.”

“But in order that we can better understand their needs for future generations, we must ensure that we better understand their behaviour.”

He added: “We’re aware of the issues surrounding captive elephants, however Noah’s Ark has spent several years researching all aspects of elephant care, enclosure and house designs.”

“We’ve listened to the experiences of elephant keepers across the UK and have sought husbandry and design advice from experts at Dublin Zoo.”

Elephant Eden is the world’s first “five-star hotel for elephants” and includes a large indoor swimming pool, around the clock medical care and home grown organic food.

[ARTIST, NICK SHEWRING]

The 80,000 square-metre complex will become Europe’s largest elephant enclosure when it opens. Planning permission was granted for Elephant Eden by North Somerset County Council in May 2010.

But Mr Bush stressed that the unique project could only go ahead if the donation target of £1 million was reached in the next seven months.

He said: “Elephant Eden will become a sanctuary of international importance, and with the support of the public we look forward to improving conditions for these incredible creatures.”

Noak’s Ark Zoo Farm opened in 1998 and is the home of the big zoo animals with 100 species including giraffes, rhinos, tigers, lions and camels.

Zoo Receives $5 Million

A  Zoo in America has just received its largest ever donation to help it build an eight acre exhibit.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden was bequeathed $5 million by Marge Schott who had been a generous benefactor while she was alive.

Schott passed away some seven years ago but she still remains the zoo’s top donator.

Cincinnati zoo director Thane Maynard said: “This $5 million gift from the Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation is the biggest single gift the zoo’s ever gotten.”

The donation will be used to help build an 8-acre Africa exhibit which will include a cheetah section and a giraffe enclosure which are now complete. However there are also plans to include lions, antelope and zebra in the Africa exhibit.

The donation is only a fraction of the money needed for the project which will cost an estimated £26 million. So far just over half of the money has been raised. It is hoped that the third phase of the project will be completed in 2013.

Schott died in 2004 aged 75, but the news of the donation has only just been released. She was the owner of the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team.

Bobbie Unnewehr, who is Schott’s younger sister and also a foundation board member, said: “I’m just so proud that the foundation has tried to carry on Marge’s legacy with the zoo.”

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is also in need of donations as it is building its Elephant Eden project. Elephant Eden will be the largest elephant enclosure in Europe to rehome troubled elephants which are already in captivity.

The project, which aims to create an elephant hotel and spa with various feeding stations and wallowing holes, will cost millions to build and Noah’s Ark is hoping to raise much needed funds in the new year.

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Endangered Rhinos Need Your Help

The International Rhino Foundation has made an impassioned plea for more support as we reach the end of 2011.

It has been a bad year for these magnificent animals as sub species of the Black Rhino and the Javan Rhino went extinct in western Africa and Vietnam respectively.

Furthermore while 400 rhinos have been killed in South Africa this year alone, only 3% of the rhino poachers have been convicted.

Rhino anti poaching rangers are faced with a difficult and underfunded job. Thousands of them are doing the best that they can without the most basic supplies such as tents or binoculars.

On the other hand the poaching gangs are highly sophisticated and this high earning business has provided them with everything from light aircraft to machine guns. Faced with these odds the rhinos barely have a hope.

The poachers can make large amounts of money on the black market from buyers who mistakenly believe that rhino horn has medicinal properties. The horn is in fact made of keratin but thanks to their ignorance rhino horn can fetch a greater price that gold in certain Asian markets.

Not only does this high demand put the lives of the rhinos in danger, but the brave anti-poaching rangers who literally put their lives on the line as they try and stop the massacres from occurring.

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is also committed to the welfare of Rhinos and you can visit our website to make a donation to the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria Save the Rhinos campaign, one of the foremost rhino conservation societies.

Noah’s Ark is also home to Rumba and Rumbull, a male and female rhino who are currently trying to mate.

If you want to experience what it is like to feed and care for rhinos, why not apply to us to become a zoo keeper for the day and see these huge animals grazing on our massive farm zoo enclosure?

Special Zoo Ticket Offer at NAZF

The sad news is that Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm is open for just two more Saturdays in 2011.

The good news is that this popular Bristol Zoo will be offering a holiday season incentive to visitors to come and say hello to the animals one more time before they go into winter hibernation!

Visit the Noah’s Ark home page and download a voucher to gain entry for £4 per person for Saturday, November 26, and Saturday, December 3. This is an amazing deal when you consider that an adult ticket normally costs £11.50!

Saturday December 3 also happens to be the special decorate a tree day at Noah’s Ark. The day is especially special for children as they can meet the real live reindeer which reside in the zoo.

The deal is even better if you are already a Family and friends of Season Ticket Holders then entry to our farm zoo is only £2 per person on these days. However the Season Ticket Holder (with their season ticket) must accompany the guests and pay for them in one transaction.

So if you are looking for a great day out in Bristol, one where kids can enjoy the combined fun of huge indoor play areas and the largest petting zoo in the south west of England, then pop down to Noah’s Ark for the day on a reduced price ticket and see what all the fuss is for yourself.

Before you go, be aware that this amazing offer is a one off and therefore cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. The zoo farm is open from 10.30 am in the morning to 5pm in the afternoon.

Although the zoo farm is not open after December 3, there will still be Christmas nativity plays held there with The Bossy King taking place on Saturday, December. That Christmas nativity will be performed by Whitchurch Primary School while the following Saturday, December 17, the Gordano Valley Church will be putting on Picture Perfect Christmas.

Baby Gorilla Born At Chicago Zoo

A zoo in America has welcomed a new baby gorilla, the first born at their Great Ape House for years.

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago has a reputation for bringing through young gorillas and they managed to kindle the romance between the 22 year old male silverback Kwan and the 16 year old female Bana. In truth it did not take much doing as they took an instant liking to each other. Bana soon gave birth to a female infant gorilla who as yet does not have a name.

The birth set the zoo keepers on high alert and the baby was monitored constantly to make sure none of the other gorillas harmed it. Meanwhile the gorilla exhibit was closed off to visitors to give the new family some privacy.

That vigilance has paid off and the Great Ape House is now being reopened so that the public gets a chance to see the new baby gorilla. She is part of a larger family of seven gorillas, so Lincoln Park Zoo visitors now have the chance to see how gorillas live as a family.

Lincoln Park Zoo was known for having one of the most successful breeding in captivity programmes in the world but in order to spread the genetic pool, gorilla breeding programmes have been spread across the US of late.

The primate curator Maureen Leahy said: “Bana had never had a baby at Brookfield, and Kwan has sired only one baby here, so they were a good match for mating.”

“Their daughter is the 49th gorilla born here at the zoo since the first birth in 1970.”

Getting gorillas to breed is a tricky business but luckily Bana was ‘socially compatible’ with Kwan and his family, which includes a harem of five females. She then took extra care of the baby once it was born, shielding it in her arms day and night.

Like a human baby, the female infant gorilla is waking up the rest of the group at night with continual crying. Yet the signs are good with the father Kwan already having shown signs of being protective.

Zoo Provides Happy Home to Elephants

An American zoo will be welcoming more elephants as part of an exhibition of African wildlife.

Birmingham Zoo in Alabama will now get a fourth elephant as part of its Trails of Africa exhibit, which is scheduled to run from Spring 2012.

The zoo has been waiting for the fourth elephant for some time but another one of their existing elephant occupants had been injured which delayed the project.

Birmingham Zoo CEO, Bill Foster, said: “A knee injury to Ajani, the zoo’s 7,100-pound, 10-year-old African male elephant, meant that we were reluctant to introduce a new elephant while we were still treating one of our current bulls.”

Birmingham Zoo then had an elephant sent over from Germany, but that three tonne elephant is still in quarantine. Another elephant could possibly be brought in from Tampa Zoo in Florida but it depends very much on the personality of the elephants as bull males are notoriously single-minded.

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm will go through the same process when they open Elephant Eden at their farm zoo in Wraxall.

Although Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm have obtained planning permission for what will be the largest elephant enclosure in Europe, donations are still needed through fundraising.

Noah’s Ark is also unsure where it elephants will come from as they will be elephants that are already in captivity, but which have found it difficult to settle into their current surroundings.

Elephant Eden will completely cater to all their needs with feed stations both on and above ground, special mud baths and everything that elephants require to have a happy life.

A Black Week For Rhinos

It has been a bad week for the Black rhino.

Last week a sub species of the Black Rhino was declared extinct in Western Africa. While rhinos are particularly vulnerable because their horns are so prized on the black market, the annual red list of endangered species now carries more threatened animals than ever before.

The BBC reported that the western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) is now extinct, while another subspecies, the northern white rhino is also on the brink of extinction. The main threat to rhinos in the wild are poachers who mistakenly believe that their horns carry special medicinal properties (in reality the horns are merely a mass of twisted hair fibres – keratin). The continual destruction of the rhinos habitat in the wild is also a threat to their existence.

That is why the presence of rhinos in zoos is particularly important for conservation reasons. If zoos had been able to breed populations of the African black rhinos in captivity then this tragic extinction may not have occurred.

Such is the story of the Black Rhino George who lived at Denver Zoo for 27 years. Tragically George has just died as the ninth oldest rhino in captivity in the world. Chronic ill health meant that he needed to be put down after continually losing weight because of diarrhoea and other ailments. The final straw was a ruptured spleen which meant that George could no longer stand. He had to be euthanized on Tuesday morning.

But the good news is that before George slipped off the mortal coil he was able to father a son called Tony. Tony was born in 1992 and remains one of only 90 black rhinos alive in American zoos. Two of those are situated at Denver Zoo, a male named Mshindi and a female named Shy Anne.

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall also has a pair of white rhinos which are currently trying to breed. Why not pop down for the day? You can even try your hand at being a zoo keeper and get the chance to feed these magnificent beasts.