London zookeepers turn to storytelling

London, Jan 15 : Keepers at the London Zoo and the Whipsnade Zoo have launched a series of virtual bedtime stories to help keep young fans in touch with their favourite animals during the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown.
Their ‘Tails from the Zoo’ will be available to watch online on the zoos’ official social media pages each weekend from Saturday until February 21, Xinhua news agency reported.
They will read different animal-inspired stories, told from the zoos’ most popular exhibits.
Featuring children’s classics such as “The Tiger Who Came to Tea”, told in the company of Sumatran tigers Asim and Gaysha, animals will be at the heart of each storytelling session specially chosen to keep younger fans entertained through this lockdown.
The story line-up will also include newer favourites such as David Walliams’ “The Slightly Annoying Elephant”, read from Whipsnade Zoo’s Center for Elephant Care, and Tom Fletcher’s “There’s a Dragon in Your Book”, recited under the watchful eye of Ganas, the Komodo dragon at London Zoo.
Following the launch on Thursday, zookeeper Sam Aberdeen said: “We came up with the idea because lots of us have our own children who love to listen to our own tales from the zoo. It’s a tough time for the zoo at the moment – as it is for so many others – and this felt like a fun way to reach out to all the children we miss seeing here so much.