BPY second grade students enjoyed an educational visit to the Turtle Back Zoo on Tuesday, May 1. The students were divided into groups, with each group setting out to research the various animals about which they are learning in school. They observed the animals’ exhibits, the informational signs and the animals themselves. A zoo educator, Sara, taught students about exhibit design and emphasized the importance of knowing the animal’s needs very well in order to create an exhibit environment that has the right amount of water, space, food and enrichment items. For example, students were surprised to learn that even though giraffes and ostriches live in the same habitat, the giraffes cannot tolerate the cold, and are, therefore, kept inside when it is colder than 50 degrees outside. The ostriches, on the other hand, don’t mind the cold and cannot even feel cold in their feet, so they can be outside in any weather. Sara also presented many examples of animal enrichment items and the students enjoyed looking for enrichment in many of the exhibits throughout the zoo. Once each group completed its research, there was time to visit the rest of the zoo, explore the touch tank and ride the train.