Going to the zoo can be a great way to bring family and friends together. There is so much to learn and talk about and amazing memories can be made.
London Zoo supported us with a private accessible tour of the zoo where we got to meet the animals, and give our suggestions on how to improve accessibility around the zoo, it was a fun day out for our VI children and their families!
We began our sunny day with an introduction to our own private tour guide who spent the day taking us around the zoo and giving us access to the most amazing animals.
We were also given volunteer guides to keep the group together, this was great, as all of the group’s questions could be answered and everyone felt included!
Throughout the tour, we were provided with lots of information on each animal, and were lucky enough to even feed some!
London Zoo also provided us with a tactile experience so we could better understand the texture of the different animal fur and the food they eat.
Meeting the animals
Mentee Macie and Mentor Al Ameen fed and touched the Pygmy Goats (aka Dwarf Goats), the goats were super friendly and happy to have our group around them!
Mentee Cormac was given a ball of camel’s fur to hold so he could experience the texture of it. Around five pounds of a camel’s fur sheds every year, especially in the summer months! We also discovered to never annoy a camel, otherwise, they spit at you!
We also got to meet the pelicans, one of the larger water birds well known for their large beaks and huge pouches to catch lots of fish!
“Thanks for having us. It was a lovely day!! Macie loved it and was nice to be around others in the same situation.” Parent of Mentee.
The debrief
After a long hot day in the sun, we decided to find ourselves somewhere to sit and host a Q&A for our LOOK families and mentees.
We were joined by mentors Krupali and Al Ameen who were able to answer questions and share their stories of growing up.
We had a fantastic day with our LOOK Mentors, Mentees and their families and we can’t wait to come together again for another face-to-face meet-up.
Thank you to London Zoo and to everyone who joined us!
“Thank you for the amazing trip to London Zoo; I had a wonderful time meeting you and the other mentees in person, as well as the mentors. As for the tour itself, it was nice to have our own personal tour with a member of the zoo showing us around” LOOK Mentee & Family.
