Melbourne Zoo Excursion- Reflection

Our Year 7 cohort went on an excursion, on the 24th of October, to the Melbourne Zoo as a part of the current topic ‘Classification’. I enjoyed this experience and learned many new, interesting, and fascinating facts about animals. It was a truly an amazing excursion.

We visited a workshop where we learned a great deal about endangered species all around the world. As we started our excursion in the zoo, we were asked to support an endangered species, after we learned about how it is endangered and affected. We were asked to “lend our voice to an animal.” At the end of the day, we had made our decisions about which endangered species we would be supporting.

Among the many animals we saw, the gorillas, giraffes, lemurs, monkeys, snow leopards, lions, tigers and the endangered orang-utans were most memorable. We saw these animals relaxing and doing all sorts of things. The lemurs were running about in their allocated area, the orangutans were proving how smart they were, the seals were swimming about joyfully, and the giraffes were eating peacefully.

After we visited the majority of the animals, we headed to our workshop which was located in the ‘Gorilla Rainforest’. In the workshop we were given clues of a certain endangered species and our task was to figure out what the species was in small group using the clues. Through this activity, we were given an opportunity to learn about these amazing creatures. Later on, we were all given an opportunity to touch a snake. Some of us refused the opportunity, but most of us were super excited and took turns in petting the snake.

As the day came to a close, I put my vote for an endangered species of seal. It was a very memorable day, and my favourite moments were learning about endangered animals and voting for which ones to save. Also, my experience at the zoo helped me understand the topic of ‘classification’ to a greater level.

It was a truly amazing experience and I would like to thank my teachers for giving us this opportunity.