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A TRIP TO THE ZOO

Third Year CSPE Action Project 2015

For our 3rd year CSPE action project, we travelled to Dublin
Zoo to visit and adopt endangered animals. This trip was a
real eye opener to the issue of poaching in the wild, and we
learned a lot from our experience.
We started of our trip with a tour of the zoo and a showcasing
of its animals. Our tour guide, Niamh, filled us in on the
facts and knowledge of our world’s creatures, ranging from
tortoises to zebras. We learned how these animals are being
slaughtered on a daily basis for their valuable items. This
includes rhino and elephant ivory for medicine and acoustics,
and the furs of animals for decoration. Due to this, a lot of
our world’s most exotic creatures are endangered and need
adoption.
This brings us onto the animals to which we are adopting, the
Chinese Red Panda and the African Giraffe.
The Red Panda is a vulnerable animal. They are found in the
Himalayas, where they feast off bamboo which is plentiful in
the temperate forests. Interestingly, Red Pandas do not come
from the panda family, and instead are placed in their own
family called Ailuridae. They are well adapted to their climate,
with thick fur and padded feet for tackling the winter snow
and ice
The Giraffe on the other hand is an endangered animal. This
is due to them being poached for their fur, and because the
habitat in which they live in is being destroyed. Giraffes are
also well adapted to their climate, sporting beige fur with
brown patches for both camouflage and temperature control.

Interview Facts
Answers From Interview: -Dublin Zoo does not work with the
WWF. -The top five species adopted in the zoo are the animals
on the website. ( Giraffe , Red Panda etc.) The most popular
animal is the the Red Panda. -The Giraffes closest relative is
the Okapi. -Giraffes aren’t monogamous (Mates with more
than one male/female) -Giraffes in the wild live 25 years and
30 in captivity. -Giraffes gestate for 14-16months. -Dublin Zoo
breeds giraffes they are in an international breeding program.
They have 2 bred one male and one female this year. -Giraffes
enjoy eating acacias the most out of every other plant. It is
found in the plains of Africa. -Giraffes use their “horns” for
heat detection. -Rocha Giraffes are an endangered species of
Giraffe. -Giraffes are born 6 feet tall and grow to 5.2 Metres
-Giraffes sleep 4 hours a day spread across the entire day to
avoid predators. -Red Pandas are listed as endangered. -Red
pandas are endangered because they are hunter for their tails
to make hats and also due to deforestation. -The Red Panda’s
tails grow to 18 inches. Red Pandas weigh 7-14 pounds. -Red
Pandas live for 15-18 years in the wild. - Red Pandas gestate
for 3 months and produce 2 pups per year. -Their main food
source is bamboo. -They are Herbivores.

Cian Walker

The Royal Times 2014-2015 51