Monkeying around with Mensa
On Sunday 28th June East and West Midlands Mensa held a joint regional event at Twycross Zoo. The day began with an informative talk by staff on how the zoo began in 1963 and how they operate today. This was followed with enrichment making activities where Mensans used paper mache, plastic bottles, wire baskets, cardboard boxes and tubes, which were then filled with fruit and insects. The squeamish stayed away from the live mealworms! After our own buffet lunch staff led us to various enclosures with our handmade toys and feeding devices and we could see them put into action. We were particularly privileged to be allowed inside the woolly monkey house as this had been temporarily closed to the public due to the birth of a baby monkey, which we were lucky enough to see, only six days previously. The meerkats loved our enrichment, the keeper answered our questions, and I was later told that by closing time the animals were so worn out playing with their new enrichment they were all lying down with no sentry on guard. Most unusual for meerkats! At the elephant enclosure the four keepers took time to enthusiastically chat to us about their work as we watched these giant yet gentle animals eat their way through our cardboard shapes to get to the herbs and spices inside. There was then free time to explore the rest of the zoo in the sunshine. With a sell-out number of 60 members, including many new faces and several families, it was an educational, entertaining and enjoyable day out.
Maxine Bates