"Patients at a nearby children's hospital designed and painted the pebbles for Gentoo penguins' breeding season at Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo. Children watch on a live stream as penguins pick out pebbles, drop them into their nests and bow to their partners as a form of courtship."
"I always get really emotional when the pebbles go in because it's just the accumulation of a month's worth of hard work for the children, said Rebecca Parr, community and discovery officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which owns the zoo."
"Zoo workers have visited the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh since 2022 in hopes of connecting patients to nature. Patients have designed items such as food and water containers for zookeepers to place in animal habitats."
Edinburgh Zoo partnered with Royal Hospital for Children and Young People to create an enrichment program where hospitalized children design and paint pebbles for Gentoo penguins. More than 1,000 hand-painted pebbles featuring flowers, rainbows, and character designs were delivered to the penguin habitat during breeding season. The penguins select pebbles to build nests and present to potential mates as part of their courtship ritual. Zoo staff connect patients to nature by showing them photos of animals undergoing medical procedures, helping children relate to the animals' experiences. This annual event benefits both the children through creative engagement and the zoo's over 100 Gentoo penguins by providing environmental enrichment.
#animal-enrichment #therapeutic-engagement #penguin-breeding-behavior #hospital-zoo-partnership #childrens-creativity
Read at The Washington Post
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