Meet the Animals

	MEET THE ANIMALS
Ringwood Home  EcoSchools UK

Why did we organise 'Meet the Animals'? Can you name the tree outside your house or the birds that visit your garden? If you can, and you're under 25 years old, you're unusual! Although young children have a natural interest in wildlife, for lots of reasons, many children get no opportunity to experience nature or to acquire environmental knowledge. Lots more never get the chance to own a pet. The aim of 'Meet the Animals' was to allow students to meet animals that they may not be able to keep themselves. 'No longer knowing' (wildlife) is an interesting item. Although not mainstream Eco, we think meeting and learning about animals is important: thus staff and students brought in their animals to our meeting of 10th November. These were not wild animals, but were animals kept as pets, and this, for some students, could be the start of an interest in animals ands the environment.  Thanks to the efforts of sixth formers Zoe Patterson, Louise Fairless, Dan Loveys and Mike Keith, and to members of staff and the Eco team,  students were able to see, and sometimes to touch, a wide variety of animals. This included a scorpion, stick insects, a Scops owl, a rabbit, a dog, several snakes, a leopard gecko, a bearded dragon lizard, axolotls, giant land snails, and ferrets This was a great event, enjoyed by two hundred people that we will repeat sometime!  If you were interested in owls, there is an important OWL SURVEY taking place this autumn. The BTO Tawny Owl Survey has been set up to help us understand how Tawny Owl calling behaviour changes throughout the winter in different parts of the country, and in different weather conditions. If you’d like to take part in this survey, see Louise Fairless or Mrs Hickman.