Taronga’s Zoomobile will be stopping off in Bathurst and surrounding towns from 13–17 October.

 The Zoomobile has been travelling from Sydney to a number of regional NSW towns over the past few months.

 The country trips are designed for children without easy access to the Zoo and aims to educate young children about native wildlife.

 Childcare and pre-school kids in and around Bathurst will get a chance to meet and interact with a range of native Australian animals, such as tree frogs, lizards, pythons and possums.

 The Zoomobile visits encourage children to engage with the animals and learn about how the animals move, what they eat and where they live.

 Taronga Zoo Learning Engagement Officer and Zoomobile Coordinator, Kerry Staker said that education and raising awareness about native animals are the most important aspects of Taronga’s Zoomobile.

 “It’s that connection with wildlife. It’s the animals in our own backyard that we want the children to appreciate,” said Kerry.

 Kerry said that lessons can be tailored to curriculum needs and teachers are welcome to get involved.

 “We really like co-teaching,” said Kerry. It’s an effective way of highlighting aspects of what the children have already been learning about.

 Childcare and pre-school students will be taught how they can make a difference to native animals and their survival at an early age.

 The Zoomobile will be visiting pre-schools in Grenfell, Trundle, Blayney, Gulgong, Kandos, Millthorpe and Bathurst.