Panda Poem

I would like some panda poems about what pandas coming to Edinburgh Zoo has meant to you.

This is why RZSS brought pandas to Scotland:

One of the main roles of zoos is to take part in breeding programmes to help conserve endangered species. Before the  2008 earthquake in Sichuan province in China, there were only about 1,500 to 2,000 giant pandas in the wild. It is not known how many survived the disaster but a worldwide captive breeding programme is now needed more than ever before.

The ‘Conservation Breeding Specialist Group’ for giant pandas at the IUCN says that there should be a captive population of 300 – at the moment there are only around 200.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will pay money to the Chinese Government for the loan of the two giant pandas. This money will go directly towards giant panda conservation projects in the wild.

We will be able to research panda behaviour in the zoo and this will help us understand more about pandas which also helps their survival in the wild.

Thinking about why RZSS brought the pandas to Scotland along with what you think it has meant to you and your life, can you write a poem? There will be a small gift for everyone who writes a poem and something extra for the winning entries. The winning poems will be used in a new education resource.

Only open to those registered to Postal Zoo Club.

Poems emailed to me by 10th February 2012 – srobb@rzss.org.uk

More Panda Displays

Pandemonium!

Well I guess the biggest news for RZSS is the arrival of our two pandas to Edinburgh Zoo. Tian Tian and Yang Guang are happy in their new enclosures. Have you been to see them yet? Please book a timed ticket via the website, it doesn’t cost any extra but since there are lots and lots of people wanting to see the pandas, it has to be managed different to any other enclosure.

And yes, there are many panda stamps! Here are a few displays:

Antarctica Day – 1st Dec 2011

This is Antarctica Day. 

The event celebrates the signature day of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty. Antarctica Day began in 2010. The 2010 event was celebrated at the University of Cambridge’s Scott Polar Research Institute, a balloon launch held in 15 countries on six continents, and an international web conference.  This year’s events again included balloon launches and a webinar (seminar/conference) . 

The 2011 webinar will be held live from Antarctica.

Websites:

http://www.polartrec.com

http://www.atsummit50.aq/

Just thought I’d mention this as we will celebrate in our own way on Saturday at our Arctic and Antarctic event.

Challenge

I’m busy, busy, busy!  So this month I want you to start thinking about our December Event!

It’s on Saturday 3rd December and all details will be emailed to you as it’s only open to registered Postal Zoo Clubbers!

Have you been watching David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet? Well the theme for our event is Arctic and Antarctic.

See if you can answer these questions:

1. Is the Arctic a landmass and continent?

2. Is the Antarctic a landmass and continent?

3. List as many animals as you can that live in the Arctic (including the islands and countries around the Arctic).

4. List as many animals as you can that live in the Antarctic (including the islands and countries around the Antarctic).

5. Choose one of the animals that you have listed above and find out about some of its adaptations which allow it to live in such an area.

There will be activities, games, trails etc at Edinburgh Zoo on our event day. Hope you can come. See email for details.

 

My Primate Scrapbook

Some of my primate scrapbook pages. Apart from the first page which has some old postcards, the photos are all taken by me while I was helping out as a keeper for a short time on the primate section to find out what the job involved.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas of how you can keep scrapbooks of photos or other projects and also use stamps to help decorate. If the stamps are good and of some value then make sure you hinge then into the scrapbook or use proper stamp mounts. (The howler monkey stamps are in mounts.) Stamp mounts can be found on internet or at stamp shows and shops.

Old postcards

Japanese Macaques now at Highland Wildlife

 

Top half - drill; diary of day at the monkey house. Bottom - howler monkey stamps

 

 

chimps and stamps

Great apes…

United Nations issued 1998 – orang utan

Guinea issued 1980 – chimpanzee

 

Cameroun issued 1979 and 1983 – gorilla

And the apes…

Some ape stamps…

gibbons – Poland issued 1972 – lar gibbon;

Vietnam issued ? black gibbon

 

Monkey business #2

And..

Cameroun issued 1962 – baboons & moustached monkey; Honduras issued 1990 – black handed spider monkey (set of 4)

Monkey business

Some monkey stamps I have managed to find from my collection:

Jersey issued 1971 – Western black and white colobus monkey; Kenya issued 1966 – vervet (savanna) monkey; New Zeland issued 2004- spider monkey; Tanzania 2005- red colobus monkey