Dinosaurs at the zoo

Two dinosaurs stalk the Joburg Zoo, and they’re hungry. But Plastosaurus and Kanasaurus are after your litter, not your lunch.
TWO dinosaurs going by the names of Plastosaurus and Kanasaurus are making sure the Johannesburg Zoo is clean and green by eating up plastic bottles and cans.

Together, they have made dealing with waste an interactive activity that entertains children while teaching them about recycling. First, they chuck their litter into the mouths of Plastosaurus and Kanasaurus, and then they turn a handle and watch the plastic bottles and cans pop out at the other end into a recycling bin.

The two litter eaters were officially handed into the zoo’s care on 2 December by the Rotary Club of Johannesburg, which initiated the programme.

They were the idea of a Rotary Club member who lives near the zoo, who was concerned by the amount of litter surrounding the zoo, especially after the weekend. Rotary approached the park and suggested a fun and interesting way to encourage people to throw litter into dust bins.

That was when the idea of Plastosaurus and Kanasaurus was born, explained Candice Segal, the zoo’s marking assistant. Work on the dinosaurs began in 2008, with design and production. Kanasaurus has been doing duty for a year already; he was recently joined by Plastosaurus.

The project has been a success and the two dinosaurs have become something of a favourite attraction of visitors, especially children.

Stephen van der Spuy, the zoo’s chief executive, thanked the Rotary Club for the initiative. The Rotary Club of Johannesburg is part of a worldwide community of volunteers. The Joburg branch was established in 1921, the first in Africa.