Students from both Cyberjaya and Sungai Buloh campuses met up at Zoo Negara on 29th June 2024 for a special overnight camp as part of the JASS International Award scheme. For the adventure section of the award, the awardees arrived as the zoo closed and set up their tents next to the bear enclosure. After dinner, the intrepid group took a guided tour of the nocturnal animals in the zoo.
First, the big cats: roaring tigers, lions, cheetahs, and the elusive black panther were all wide awake and on the prowl. In the reptile house, the children were introduced to a huge Burmese python called Hannah. We also visited crocodiles, tortoises, the hippopotamus, deer, porcupines, wallabies, and capybaras.
At each area of the zoo, the children met the custodians of the animals and learned about their habits and the efforts being made to conserve these special creatures. After breakfast on Sunday morning, the awardees made food parcels in banana leaves and hid fruit inside bamboo stalks. These parcels were then placed with the bears and porcupines, and we could observe the animals hunting for their breakfast, opening the banana leaf packages, and breaking open the bamboo to reveal the sweet treats, helping them develop their foraging skills.
Finally, the children participated in the animal show before heading back to school after a special camp full of happy memories—all a little wiser about our animal friends.
https://youtu.be/FhBky6jO6DA
