Taronga Zoo Geography Excursion

On 31 October, the Year 10s were given the privilege to go to Taronga Zoo Sydney as part of their Geography excursion. The purpose: to gain a greater understanding of the effects of plastic pollution and debris that end up in our oceans. We were guided by zoo keepers Matt and Jess, who informed us about the effects of plastic and how it is one of the most significant contributors to marine life death. Sarah, a marine biologist at Taronga Zoo, demonstrated different strategies that are being implemented, including creating structures on sea walls that encourage certain marine animals and organisms to live and create colonies. We were also given the opportunity to meet one of Taronga’s very own rescue turtles, enlightening us about the abilities of veterinary science. The seal show was a highlight of our trip, where we got to meet three of Taronga’s beautiful seals, showing off their amazing tricks and skills while the trainers spoke to us about overfishing, how the Marine Stewardship Council – MSC works to end it, and why we should reduce our single-use plastic waste.

As we made our way down to the beach, we were given the task of picking up plastic waste, debris and any other rubbish that we could find. To the naked eye, the beach looked almost spotless; however, as we began looking through the landscape, it was shocking the amount of pollution and debris that we found. The trip was an incredible and educative experience, leaving the year 10s with a greater understanding of the effects and impacts of pollution on marine life.