A trip to the zoo

A group of Jacari pupils, their families and our volunteers visited Bristol Zoo Gardens in May. The trip was very popular - we had over 40 people! It was lovely to see so many of our pupils and meet their families. Some of us have never been to the zoo before (me included!). Jacari trips not only help our pupils practise their English, but they also give them the chance to visit a local attraction they may not usually have access to.

Exploring the zoo

We visited many areas of the zoo: the seal and penguin pools, Gorilla Island, bat caves, geckos and lizards and much more. We also had fun at the measure-up space where we could compare which animal we would be with our heights! We saw lions, but during the time we were there they were all just having a lazy nap! But the best part of the day was the gorillas' lunch where the zoo's staff fed the whole family of gorillas and explained who is who and what their roles are in the family.

Lunch-time fun

After that, we all sat down in the pleasant and sheltered picnic area by the butterfly tent to have lunch, which was a lovely time to share what we had seen. Some of us stayed in the picnic area and played speaking games - all Jacari families together, sharing food and experiences! There was even a sing-along game which apparently is what you do after a meal with your family members in some parts of India.

More animal antics!

Some of us continued exploring different parts of the zoo after lunch. I went with a couple of families to see the seals and penguins, which we enjoyed watching - they were swimming close to us, and you could nearly touch them! We all agreed that the seals were showing off their swimming skills while we were in the underwater tunnel.

There was a lot of laughter, “oohs and ahs,” when the flamingos were going for their feeding-time and just “danced” beautifully.

Time to cool off

By the end of our visit, some of us even ended up all wet after a play in the water playground - we were very lucky with hot and sunny weather so it was a great way to cool off!

As we left the zoo, everyone got a sticker either with their favourite animal on, or a “conservation hero”. The visit was very informative, and it was great to appreciate the conservation work the zoo is doing and see our Jacari pupils learning about wildlife.

We love taking our pupils and families on these trips and plan to visit more local attractions in the next year.