An educational trip to the ‘Jijamata Udhyan’ was organized by the Science Club for its members. The trip was coordinated by Ms.Neharika Vaz while Ms. Marilyn Rebello, Ms.Sophia D'Mello, and Mrs. Trupti Dahibavkar and Mrs. Tejal Darji accompanied 15 students on this visit.

 The group assembled at the entrance of the zoo at 9:30am amidst great excitement and enthusiasm. The trip began with a visit to the aquatic birds section where the children got to see exotic birds like the Pelican,Stork, crane etc. The next section had a variety of rare species of birds on display which included, the Rose Ringed Parakeet, Military Mackaw, African Grey Parrot etc. The children were then escorted to the amphibian section which had a wide variety of turtles and tortoises. Here the children got to know the real differences between the two species. What was intriguing was that some of the species were over 100 years old and yet very much alive. The next section being the big cat section really got all the children excited. Among all the big cats like the Leopard, Cheetah, etc. the most beautiful sight was that of the magnificent Bengal Tiger in all its splendour. What was most interesting was that all the animals and birds appeared to be living in their natural habitat and the entire landscape was very artistically designed and sculpted , giving it a next to real experience.

After a short break during which the children enjoyed some delicious refreshments, all were rejuvenated for the next leg of the tour which began with the most awaited and the internationally renowned ‘Humboldt Penguins’. These were magnificent creatures seen by many for the first time in real life. The cuteness and beauty of these birds was something that no one could have imagined. The children were also very fortunate to get a glimpse of the baby penguins living with their parents in their natural habitat. The children were also lucky to be given a short talk on the penguins there by a Zoologist working at the zoo, an acquaintance of Mrs Dahibavkar.

The tour continued where the children got to see some mammoth animals like the elephant and hippopotamus in all their grandeur. They also got to view some animals like the mischievous monkeys and a wide variety of deer.

The tour ended with a short quiz about what they learned at the zoo, in which most of the children answered correctly, proving how methodically and painstakingly the teachers had planned and conducted the entire tour and thus helping the children gain additional knowledge about nature. The trip ended at about 1:30pm with each child leaving the zoo with very fond memories.

Bryden Lemos

Std. 6-2