In the first Scholars’ Masterclass of the Summer Term, we were delighted to welcome ZooLab to the College on Monday 29 April. And such was the nature of the Masterclass that it wasn't just a speaker that we welcomed, but also animals and creatures from the natural world.
ZooLab aim to amaze, educate and inspire through their ethical and engaging animal encounters. For many years, ZooLab has played an important part in educating audiences about animals and the natural world. The organisation is supported by a group of passionate field presenters, and we were lucky to have Lucia share her love of nature with our audience of scholars. Lucia is a conservation scientist who has worked all over the world in rainforests and conservations and for today’s Masterclass, brought in some animals to show and talk about.
Some of the animals that Lucia talked about included Sheldon, an African Land Snail. These can grow to the size of a football and Lucia went into detail about their anatomy as well as more about their habitat. Another animal that Lucia brought out was Scooter, a Madagascan Hissing Cockroach that, despite its name, only hisses as a measure to ward off predators in the wild.
As with any wildlife experience, the Masterclass would not have been complete without learning more about snakes and spiders. In this case, our pupils were introduced to Fluffy, a Curly Haired Tarantula and Nagini, a Corn Snake. Those who are Harry Potter fans will agree that it is a fitting name given Nagini’s striking pale colour.
Throughout the Masterclass, there were opportunities for our pupils to touch or, for those feeling braver, to hold some of the animals. While there was a large uptake for holding Sheldon, there was far less doing so with Nagini! However, those that did hold Nagini did so with gusto.
Despite the Masterclass’s official conclusion, there was still an opportunity for our pupils to come to the front and talk to Lucia more about the animals she had already shown, as well as get to see other animals. These included Lily, a White’s Tree Frog, Colin, an African Millipede, and Groot, a Scorpion Stick Insect.
Thank you, Lucia, and thank you ZooLab for visiting the College to talk more about these fascinating animals. We’re sure that this Masterclass will live long in the memory of those who had the chance to get very close and personal to some of these animals!