On Friday 1st March, the animal care & horticulture group visited Princess Christian Farm.
On arrival, we were given a full tour of the farm, meeting its many animals along the way. These range from small animals like rabbits and mice, to larger animals such as sheep and ponies. There is also an area dedicated to reptiles. Everyone loved the baby emus and we were very fortunate to see an egg beginning to hatch. The alpacas were also a favourite, especially one called Kevin who could be a bit cheeky! After lunch, the students were able to handle some of the smaller animals and were guided to complete health checks on them.
It was a full and fun day, sparking lots of interest and discussion. Here is what some of our students thought:
- ‘It was good. My favourite bit was the reptiles when I held the snake.’ (George)
- ‘My favourite part was when I held the rabbit.’(Aaron)
- ‘I found everything interesting. When alpacas spit they have stomach acid in it. A female peacock is called a pea hen. The emu’s defence mechanism is to stamp on an animal if they feel threatened.’ (Sean)
- ‘My favourite was everything! When we toured the farm Aaron and I got stuck in the mud. It was funny when the turkey jumped up at Kirsty!’ (Frank)