Bush camp at the zoo was a hit with Beaver Scouts – Centennial Community and Recreation Association

By Krystle Forsyth

2^nd Highland Creek Beaver Scouts, parents and Scouters had an amazing opportunity to attend the Toronto Zoo Serengeti Bush Camp at the end of June. We slept in authentic African tents, and had amazing food.

We learned a lot from our Bush Camp guides Adrienne and Ezra during our behind-the-scenes tour. Male giraffes like Mstari live by themselves in the wild, and that’s why on display you see Mstari by himself. We finally found the answer to whether zebras are black with white stripes or white with black stripes. Ezra told us that zebras are in fact brown with white stripes and the white stripes help them keep cool in the summer heat. Adrienne told us that river hippos like Petal and Perky can sleep up to 22 hours a day. One of the zookeepers for the African Savannah told us that the horns on the Watusi cattle can reach up to eight feet in length.

We got to check out the Serengeti gift shop, which is only available to bush campers, and we got some gorilla and giraffe stuffed animals to keep as mementos.

Once it got a little dim, we ran around the African Savannah on a Scavenger Hunt, which helped us unlock a treasure chest that was needed for the campfire. When the zoo was closed, we saw the zebras running around and we heard the lion roar.

To end the evening, we roasted marshmallows and ate s’mores, sang some songs, heard bedtime stories, and met a skunk that came right up behind us as we ate our delicious s’mores.

The next day, we got to do our final animal encounter with an Eastern Rat Snake, which is native to Ontario. Then we explored the African Pavilion where the highlight of the morning was Lake Malawi. We learned that it’s named after Lake Malawi, Africa’s great lake. In the zoo’s Lake Malawi there are between 700-800 species.

In Scouting we always do a plan and do a review. In the review of this camp, all the youth have agreed that this was an amazing camp and something we must do again.

2nd Highland Creek Beavers, Parents and Scouters would like to thank our sponsor CCRA for their generous donation to make this sleepover possible.

2nd Highland Creek Beaver Scouts, parents and Scouters had an amazing opportunity to attend the Toronto Zoo Serengeti Bush Camp at the end of June. We slept in authentic African tents, and had amazing food.

2^nd Highland Creek Beaver Scouts, parents and Scouters had an amazing opportunity to attend the Toronto Zoo Serengeti Bush Camp at the end of June. We slept in authentic African tents, and had amazing food.