A FAMILY PASS FOR BLAIR DRUMMOND SAFARI PARK
The Th Observer has teamed up with Blair Drummond Dr Safari Park to offer readers the h chance to win a family pass for two adults and two children each week - and learn a bit more about their residents at the same time.
This week the focus is on the park’s popular lemurs. And one was particularly appreciated at the weekend.
Park education and communications officer Jamie-leigh Green said:“this past Sunday was, of course, Mother’s Day, a day to celebrate and spoil the women in our lives. Naturally, our animal mamas were also given the same special treatment by their caregivers, our wonderful keepers.
“One of our most successful mothers here in the park is our beautiful red ruffed lemur Manja.
“Manja will turn 19 next month and, alongside her partner Red, is mother to Robin, Nero, Rowan and Regan, who all live here at the park. Her first baby Rua moved to a zoo in France to play her part in the conservation of her species by joining the breeding programme for red ruffed lemurs.
“Unfortunately, red ruffed lemurs are critically endangered out in the wild and that is why we are so proud to have such a fruitful family group, and to be able to contribute to this endangered species breeding programme.”
Pets Farm keeper Kristine Fennessy Alexander added:“red ruffed lemurs are very special animals and are very important to their local ecosystem in Madagascar.
“Believe it or not, they are actually pollinators, just like bees.
“When red ruffed lemurs put their long snouts into flowers in order to reach the nectar which they feed on, they get pollen on their noses.
“They then pass that pollen on to other flowers as they continue eating.
“They are also very important for seed dispersal. Lemurs have a very quick digestive system; this means that when they eat a piece of fruit, it swiftly passes through their system and the seeds within it remain intact.
“This is beneficial as these seeds are now able to grow and thrive away from the parent plant, without competition.’’
Blair Drummond Safari Park is open seven days a week, from 10am until 5.30pm. Tickets can be booked online at blairdrummond.com.
For a chance to win a family pass, which can be used any one day during the park’s opening season this year, just answer the following question:
What do bees and red ruffed lemurs have in common?
Send the coupon with your answer, name, address and contact number to: Safari Park Competition, Stirling Observer, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 9DA. The deadline is Tuesday at 4pm. Only original vouchers will be accepted, no photocopies.
Pupilsfromraploch, Pupils from Raploch, Riversideand Riverside and Thornhill Primary Schools joined Cressida Cowell MBE at an event at Stirling Castle last week.
The current Waterstones Children’s Laureate joined the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour including an exclusive event at the castle that was live-streamed to schools across Scotland.
The award-winning author-illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon series visited schools across Scotland, including Stirling and Clackmannanshire, as part of the book tour and pupils in P4–7 across Scotland joined the Stirling Castle event in person and online.
Cressida revealed how her childhood on a remote Scottish island inspired the How to Train Your Dragon series, which became a Dreamworks film and TV franchise. During the event, there was an opportunity for the young people to ask Cressida about her work.
She said:“scotland inspired my How to Train Your Dragon series and it’s always a pleasure to return and meet pupils. It’s thrilling to hold an event in
Stirling Castle, a place with fantastic history and wonderful stories. I’m sure the young people will have many interesting questions and I look forward to meeting them all during Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour.”
Cressida is also author-illustrator of The Wizards of Once series, set in an ancient, magical time, full of wizards, warriors, giants and sprites, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton. She has sold over 11 million books worldwide in 38 languages.
Alongside her role as the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2019-2022), she is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust, a trustee for World Book Day and a founder patron of the Children’s Media Foundation.