Ah, a day out at Perth Zoo, what a wonderful idea! Walking in the spring sunshine, marvelling at the wonders of God’s creation (seriously, have you seen a giraffe!?), enjoying good company and possibly even good food…
“Is it forecast to rain all day Mr Taylor?
“It’s August, I’m sure it’ll just be light showers, and it’s warm in the reptile house.”
“Mr Taylor, the reptile house doesn’t open until 10am…”
Most of us had wet socks by 9:30am and that was just getting through the entrance. By 10am we were thoroughly damp, but we had already committed to making our way to the orangutans so why not make the most of it! Credit to our Year 12’s, they did. We wandered off to explore the primates and ask some big questions about the nature of humanity – a much easier task when you’re feeling warm and dry.
Our walk through the rainy African savannah on the way to the primates did include a good conversation with the baboon, an awe-inspiring show by the lioness, and some interesting behaviour from the giraffe population (seriously, have you seen one? They have the same number of cervical vertebrae as humans)!
The main purpose for our visit was for the Human Biology students to experience the past and present primates educational experience and the Integrated Science students to engage with the Brilliant Biodiversity Bonanza (I added the last word, but I think you can see why).
If you’re wondering what primates have to do with Human Biology, then it’s probably worth me pointing out that a significant section of the West Australian curriculum relates to understanding the scientific theory of human evolution. This is a big topic with potentially big implications for our theology.
The zoo excursion offers an opportunity for our students to hear the evidence and theory laid out in a way they might not otherwise and sets the scene for valuable discussions that we will return to after exams. It was great to see our students thinking critically about what they heard and challenging some of the assumptions presented to them.
