NC Zoo Offering Second Wildlife Research Camp
Posted on 08/26/14Asheboro, NC — On the heels of the North Carolina Zoo’s highly successful Field Research Camp, held for the first time in August, and the positive responses from participants, the zoo has scheduled a second camp for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 an 19.
The camp engages budding scientists in the same activities that field researchers use to study lions, wolves, turtles and other animals in the wild. Campers will spend two days and one night at the zoo tracking animals and engaging in the same activities field biologists use to research wild animal populations. Camp participants will get hands-on experience with radio telemetry, camera traps, drones, night-vision goggles and other technologies used by scientists to study animals in the wild and in zoos.
During their overnight stay, participants will camp in tents and conduct research at the zoo’s Watani Grasslands Reserve, where seven species of African antelope, Southern white rhinos and ostriches roam a 40-acre habitat.
The Zoo’s Field Research Camp is suitable for 10th, 11th and 12th-graders and college freshmen. It will be limited to 16 participants in order to ensure each camper plenty of time to interact with staff and experiment with the technical equipment. Applicants should have a grade point average of B or higher and secure a recommendation from a science teacher or career counselor.
Tuition for the camp is $419 for N.C. Zoo Society Members and $469 for non-members. The camp is sponsored by the Society, the N.C. Zoo’s non-profit support organization. Funds raised by the camp will support the North Carolina Zoo’s wildlife conservation programs around the world. To apply for the camp visit the Zoo Society’s website at www.nczoo.com or call Jayne Parker with the Zoo Society at 336-879-7273.
The zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, John E. Skvarla, III, Secretary; Pat McCrory, Governor.
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