The Adventures of Harley and Harper

“Harper, Sophia, look! The giraffes are right up there!” Harley shouted behind him to his sister and her new best friend who were walking too slow for his taste. 

Mom and Dad walked the slowest, holding hands and pointing at all the beautiful greenery and plant life on the walkways of the zoo. 

Harley couldn’t wait to see the giraffes. He had been saving a portion of his allowance to pay for feeding them.  

Harper and Sophia chose to watch Harley feed the giraffes instead of feeding them themselves; their long, slimy tongues did not interest them.  

After the giraffes, they enjoyed watching orangutans swing from limb to limb. Dad enjoyed the reptile exhibit and made a game of counting how many species of frogs were there. Mom did not like the darkened room where the bats hang upside down. Sophia asked for as much time as possible to marvel at the unique stripes of the Tiger that paced back and forth in its enclosure. 

Once they all finished their packed lunches of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips, Harper looked up at Dad and asked, “What time is the bird show at? I’d love to see if they have a parrot.” 

Dad confirmed on the zoo map that they could make the show in time, so they hastily gathered their trash to throw away.  

Harley noticed a few loose napkins from someone else’s picnic and went to gather them.  

Mom thanked him for picking up the litter and then they were off to the bird show.  

Seated in the middle of the outdoor theatre, Harper nudged Sophia in excitement as the bird she hoped to see came out on the keeper’s shoulder. They then learned that the bird was called a Macaw.  

The show flew by with unique tricks and impressive flying maneuvers. The twins and Sophia were hooked. Toward the end of the presentation, the Zoologist began to talk about the bird's natural habitat and how it was becoming increasingly harder for the birds to exist freely due to the amount of pollution and deforestation that was happening.  

Harper grew quite sad; this Macaw was her favorite, and it bothered her to know that its family members could be struggling. Surely there was something that they could do? 

That is when the Zoologist mentioned the word -conservation. She went on to talk about the different forms of conservation: Environmental, Animal, Marine, and Human.  

The Zoologist said, “You, too, can be a Conservationist and help take care of our planet and all the creatures that dwell on it.” 

Mom and Dad glanced over to the kids, bent forward and listening intently.  

“You can help marine life by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth instead of letting the water flow and be mindful how long you are spending in the shower so as not to waste water.” She pointed to a trash can near the theatre exits, “You can help both the earth, land mammals, and birds by always throwing your garbage away and recycling when you can.” She went on to list more simple ways that everyone can help and mentioned that if you wanted to learn more, youcould visit the Zoo’s website or talk to the staff in the gift shop before leaving. There were educational books, day camp opportunities, and more!  

As they left the zoo, Harley flipped through his new booklet and remembered picking up someone else’s trash after their lunch. It took him only a few seconds and was a form of conservation. He made a note to keep an eye out for trash the next time they were on the boat, too.  

Sophia and Harper excitedly talked about a day camp session that they signed up for at the Zoo where kids could come in and learn gardening and help plant flowers. This would create fresh air free of pollution and food for the animals that lived at the zoo. 

Mom set a reminder on her phone to help her with turning off all the lights before they left the house to save energy.  

Dad made up his mind to ask a few co-workers if they wanted to start a carpool to save on their fuel emissions. 

“Dad? When can we go back to the zoo?” Harley asked, looking forward to their next adventure. 

Do you like to go to the zoo? What is your favorite animal there? Have you learned something from a Zoologist that can help the environment? What can you do to help with conservation?