Campers learn about wildlife careers, animal locomotion at Chehaw day camp in Albany

ALBANY – Ever wondered what it would be like to be a zookeeper? This week, some of the day campers at Chehaw Park & Zoo are learning the answer to that question while getting to see some of the zoo inhabitants and participating in other fun activities.

Campers ages 9-12 are taking part this week in “critter careers” to get a glimpse into what some of Chehaw’s staff does on a daily basis.

“They’re learning about all the different careers in the biology field,” zookeeper Madeline Pond said. “Today we’re learning about educators, which is my job.”

The day campers got to see the zoo’s coati, a relative of the raccoon that is most prevalent in Central and South America. The group also made a stop at the reptile section, where creepy and crawly critters, including venomous snakes, are on display.

At one of the lemur enclosures, Reese Hamsley explained how those exotic-looking animals are able to navigate around their forest environment. At her prompting, the young campers ages 5 and 6 shouted that they are able to do this using their opposable thumbs.

Those kids were taking part in the “motion locomotion” week.

“This is all about the many ways animals move and adaptations they use to move through their habitat,” Jackie Entz, the education director for the Artesian Alliance, said. Chehaw, along with the Thronateeska Heritage Center and Flint RiverQuarium, are part of the alliance.

The weekly camps, which have different themes each week, continue through July.