One of the first things the YATZ did for this year’s program was to spend a day at Monarto zoo. We first played some fun games, to get to know each other, this was very helpful for me as I didn’t really know people because this is my first year at YATZ. After that, we did some touring and then we started to assist with the setup of enclosures for the new Stick Nest Rat breeding program.
This is located in the offsite area within the native’s department, there were a lot of cages filled with dirt, cobwebs and moss. The YATZ were split up into four groups, with some cleaning the rooms, some placing down felt and rocks (so the Stick Nest Rats wouldn’t cut themselves on the edge of the wire), some were placing sand into the already clean enclosures with the last team shoveling sand into buckets and wheelbarrows.
All our efforts will help the breeding program of these native animals and also the release of them back into the wild, to help their population grow.
I am really happy that I could help out and start meeting new friends.
Isabella, YATZ