CHESTER Zoo is inviting all visitors to learn more about food plants everyday during half-term week as part of the Food For Thought event.
Families will have the opportunity to pot their own food plant such as curry, mint and strawberries and use a ‘food for thought’ food trail sheet as they walk around the zoo.
Visitors can also enjoy two presentations on elephants and an elephant ‘touch’ table so they can get to grips with elephant artefacts.
The event will highlight how food directly links to conservation and will discuss how the zoo uses chilli plants to ease human elephant conflict in its Assam Haathi project in Northern India. Human elephant conflict is a growing problem throughout Asia as elephants are forced to move into agricultural areas as their natural forest habitat is destroyed and human populations expand.
This project aims to educate villagers on how to live alongside elephants peacefully by developing techniques to reduce the existing conflict.
Mark Sparrow, curator of botany and horticulture at Chester Zoo, said: “This is an excellent event for families which links food, elephants and our Assam project. As a charity involved in various conservation projects overseas, we actively aim to inform members of the public about the projects we support. We hope the visitors find it a fun hands-on event.”
The events will run from February 13 to Sunday February 21. There will be some follow up events at the zoo to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight which runs from the February 22 until March 7.