Zoos Victoria has a wonderful community conservation program with the Melako Community Conservancy in Kenya to protect amazing animals like the endangered Grevy’s Zebra.
A Grevy’s Zebra in Northern Kenya
By saving the habitat for the zebra, we can also protect it for the lesser seen animals…. like the naked mole rat!
A naked mole rat visits our camp!
During a recent stay at the Melako Scout Camp, we were lucky to meet naked mole rats as they burrowed up from underground – right in the middle of camp!
Home sweet home: naked mole rat holes
House-keeping: a naked mole rat kicks dirt from his tunnels to keep them clean
These creatures are amazing for a number of reasons:
- They live in colonies of 20 – 300 individuals!
- They dig a complex underground tunnel system that can be up to 5km long.
- Their teeth are in front of their lips, so they can use them to burrow without getting a mouthful of sand!
- They are the world’s longest lived small mammal, living up to 28 years!
- They are the world’s only ‘cold blooded’ mammal, regulating their temperature in a similar manner to reptiles!
We were so lucky to see these amazing creatures on one of their trips to the surface. Just another creature that we are helping through our Beads 4 Wildlife campaign!
Did you know: You can buy beautiful hand-made beadwork from Melako to help protect African animals at our 3 Zoos or online here!
