Celebrities pitch in at the zoo

Making food and toys for the animals at the Johannesburg Zoo was all in a day’s volunteering for a group of local celebrities.
JOBURG Zoo’s chimpanzees have new toys to play with, made with the help of local celebrities.

A zoo staff member helps Sade make balls for the chimpsA zoo staff member helps Sade make balls for the chimpsClose to 20 celebrities, mostly musicians and radio personalities, spent four hours making the play equipment at the zoo on Thursday, 27 October.

They were divided into groups of four to five people per group, and were assigned different activities. One group was tasked with preparing food for the animals, while others collected browse, fed the animals and made the toys.

According to the zoo’s brand and communications manager, Letta Madlala, the toys are used as part of the zoo’s behaviour enrichment programme, and to help the chimps stay healthy.

Among those helping out was Sade Giliberti, the presenter of So You Think You Can Dance, the SABC1 reality show. Giliberti, whose favourite animal is the tiger, was in the toy-making group.

Explaining what she did, Giliberti said: “We covered a balloon with cloth. Then we popped the balloon so it became like a ball. [The chimps] feed out of it and at the same time use it as a ball, so it becomes like a toy at the same time.”

She had, however, expected more than just sitting down and making toys: “I was hoping to actually pick up the elephant poo and be with the animals and feed tigers and the birds.”

Cutting branches to make toys for the chimpsCutting branches to make toys for the chimpsNevertheless, she was pleased to have participated. “I am very proud that I can be part of something like this, even if it is small. I love animals,” she said.

The event was organised by Mika Stefano, a social blogger, who said he got the idea when he and a friend decided to volunteer at the zoo.

“We thought it was such a fun activity. We invited a few celebrities to get people to talk about coming to the zoo and helping out,” he said.

Volunteer
Explaining the aim of the event, Stefano said it was to encourage people to come to the zoo and be involved as the festive season approached. “The idea of inviting celebrities was to show that if these people can get their hands dirty, so can other people.”

DotCom, a rising hip-hop star, said he had had fun giving back. He was involved with preparing food for the chimps and later fed the giraffes. “It has been a good day altogether because what we did was very important as many people will come and see the other side of the zoo.”

Feeding the giraffesFeeding the giraffesOthers who took part were Metro FM presenter Carol Ralefeta, hip-hop musicians AKA and L-Tido, and house music performers J'Something and Mo-T from Mi Casa.

Madlala said she had never seen so many celebrities joining hands for one cause. “They came in droves and we are very happy for that, and so are our animals.”

The zoo was honoured that the personalities had wanted to spend time with its animals. “Their actions set a very good example to the populace at large and will go a long way in encouraging people to love animals,” she said.

Members of the public can volunteer at the zoo, and learn what it takes for the day-to-day running of the zoo, but they must be over the age of 18.

“Volunteering at the zoo is not for the faint-hearted,” reads the zoo’s website. “It requires a large amount of physical labour and there is rarely ever direct contact with animals. Volunteering can encompass maintenance, cleaning and gardening in the various sections.”