Grade 3 Lion and Safari Park

On Tuesday the 30th of April, the Grade 3’s had their first trip of the year, to the Lion and Safari park in Broedestroom. What a trip it was! It was the experience of a life-time as our learners sang all the way, some with mixed feelings, and some expressing their fears.

A plethora of questions kept on coming as the journey continued. Our learners learnt a great deal from the well informed and passinate tour guides who did not tire from the inquisitive questions. There was a deafening silence as the tour truck tore along a bumpy road into the safari as we caught the sight of majestic lions. Our learners were captivated by the king of the jungle and the lionesses, cheetahs, wild dogs and giraffe. Here are some gold nuggets that were gained.

• Did you know that the darker the lion’s mane then the stornger that lion is and that lions see 8 times better that humans in the night.
• Did you know that the difference between an white lion and an albino lion is that white lions have a shade of brown and have a black nose while albino lions are snow white,with a pink nose.
• Cheetahs have what is called a honey comb bone structure. This means that they have bubbles in their bones, making them lighter. This helps them to run faster up to 120km/h!

The riveting moment was when we saw a gentleman standing outside his van. We watched in awe as the lions ran to him for a hug. We learnt that he has been looking after the lions for 20 years. The lions love and trust him.

The sight of the wild dogs and antelopes was a relief, because those tend to shy away from tourists.

Another priceless and fascinating part was the sight of Zoe the Giraffe who just appeared after a long wait. She was so friendly and tame. Our learners enjoyed touching and feeding her.

The day was well enjoyed and our learners were all smiles with bellies stuffed with boerewors rolls, ice cream, chicken, burgers and endless snacks. It was not easy to say our goodbyes as our learners left with awe-filled eyes!