A Keep It Wild visit to Johnsview Village Public School

Grade 1/2 Students at Johnsview Village Public School had a Keep It Wild workshop on Friday. They learned all about the incredible adaptations that polar bears have to help them survive in an arctic environment. Then they learned about Yupi, a polar bear in a Mexican zoo, who is suffering from a lack of space, a hot climate, and a lack of enrichment. Polar bears deserve a captive habitat that is large and complex, and lets them engage in their natural behaviours.

Looking forward to the letters the students are going to write about Yupi, explaining what they learned and what they think of her zoo after comparing it to a wild habitat. 

 A Bone Clones Polar Bear Skull

Polar Bear Claws

Watch out - I've got polar bear claws! 

Book our Polar Bear Explorations workshop for grade 2's, and let your students check out polar bear claws and teeth, experiment with blubber and ice, compare wild and captive habitats, and join a campaign to help Yupi, a polar bear in a substandard zoo in Mexico.

Jubela the Rhino

This lovely children's picture book is based on the real-life story of an orphaned rhino in Swaziland. He was named Jubela, which means "a fighter" in Siswati, after he survived the shooting death of his mother, which usually spells death for a baby rhino. By hearing the story of his survival and eventual adoption by an old female rhino, readers connect with the plight of rhinos, 97 % of which have been lost to poachers over the last thirty years. 
     This book's themes include perseverance, kindness, and protection. It is a great way for children to connect to the emotional lives of animals without any anthroomorphizing of the animals involved. 
      Keep It Wild recommends this book! 

Kiska the Orca

Orca by Saeeda

Grade 4 students at Grenoble PS had a great time learning about orcas during their recent Keep It Wild workshop. They had a chance to build food chains, study spectrograms, experience sound waves travelling through bone, and try their best to catch their prey using echolocation. (We all agreed that orcas are way better at echolocation then humans!) 

After learning about the bond that orcas form with their families, many students were concerned to find out that Kiska, a captive orca whale at Marineland, is living alone, without any other orcas to socialize with. Many of their orca pictures featured another orca for Kiska to play with and communicate with.

Kiska and her friend! by Zachariah

2 or more by Tabassum

Kiska and her family hunting by Ezhil

Kiska having fun with her friend by Wida

 The students wrote postcards to share their ideas and opinions about orcas in captivity. Many students suggested changing her captive habitat so that she could have more space, could hunt live prey, and could socialize with another whale. Other students hoped that Kiska might some day be released back into the wild.

Kiska can be sent into the wild by Ashwini

Stay tuned for more great pictures from the grade 4 Grenoble students.

Comparing Polar Bear Habitats

Grade 2 students at Clairlea PS had a great time learning more about polar bear adaptations during their recent Keep It Wild workshop. They got to experiment with blubber mitts to see how polar bears are insulated against icy waters, and to discover how polar bears migrate across the frozen ice in search of seals.      Then they compared the habitat of Yupi, a polar bear in captivity in Mexico, with the natural habitat of the polar bear. 

A Polar Bear catching a Seal at a breathing hole (by Aryan)

Yupi in captivity (by Aryan) 

Comparing a wild habitat with a captive one (by Isobelle) 

Polar Bears travelling in the wild  (by Tom)

Students used persuasive writing to send a message to the zoo in Mexico. Many students suggested sending Yupi to a polar bear sanctuary in Northern Ontario (Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat). 

       Ryder's message said:

          Let Yupi out of the zoo. She might be sad, bored, hot, trapped, and unhappy. 

Thanks for your great work learning more about wild animals and helping Yupi the polar bear! 

Keep It Wild visits K-W March Break Camp

Animaniacs Camp in Kitchener-Waterloo invited Keep It Wild to their March Break Camp this week. Kids had a great time learning more about polar bears in the wild, and finding out how they can get involved in a campaign to get Yupi the Polar Bear moved from Mexico to a more suitable habitat.

Check out some of other the great educational programs and camps the KW Humane Society offers to help kids learn more about animals here