| Hot to trot at the zoo |
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| Written by Makoena Pabale | |
| Friday, 04 April 2008 | |
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Forget running on the road or jogging around the park, a trot at the zoo is the thing to do on a Sunday. 
Runners will take in the wild ambience of the zoo
IF running around wild animals sounds exciting to you then the Johannesburg Zoo on the second Sunday of the month is the place to be. This is when the Zoo Trot Programme, a partnership between Johannesburg Zoo and Rocky Road Runners Club, takes place. "If one of your new year's resolution is to keep fit, this is an ideal opportunity for you. Families and friends enjoy running whilst getting a better view of more than 200 animals species," said Sandra Hlungwani, PR and Marketing Officer at the zoo. The trot takes place every second Sunday of the month throughout the year and it is ideal for the whole family. Everyone above the age of three is welcome but no domestic animals are allowed at the zoo. According to Sophia Mtshali, events and administration manager at the zoo, "The Rockies is a group of runners who are contributing towards making this event a success by bringing their regular runners to participate. The Joburg Zoo provides a venue which is safe and peaceful." Those who want to participate pay R21 each and can either take part in the 5km or 10km walk or run challenge. Parking is R10 a car. Gates open at 7am for walkers and runners to come and prepare, but the actual programme begins at 7.30. After the programme is over, participants can remain at the zoo to enjoy the sounds of nature and view the zoo's animal species for the remainder of the day. After completing three consecutive walks or runs, participants are given a medal but they can still continue to participate and complete as many walks or runs as they want to. Dr Ivan Schevitz, chairman of the Rocky Road Runners Club, said the club does not benefit in terms of money, but just knowing that they are contributing to building a healthy living society fulfills them. "So far we are very happy with the response because we have had about 300 people coming to participate at our first trot challenge and that is one step in the right direction," Schevitz said. There are many other events taking place at the zoo that aim to educate the public about endangered species. As this year is the year of the frog at the zoo, a lot of workshops and activities will have frog themes. From 3 to 5 May there will be a Sasol Bird Fair at the zoo which will focus on the role of frogs in the food chain and what the effect on birds would be if frogs became extinct. World Environment Day takes place on 5 June and its theme will be the health of water systems such as dams, rivers, wetlands and how the public can contribute to the conservation of frogs. During the months of July and August the holiday programme for kids will include activities mainly focused on frog athletics, frog habitats and eating habits and conservation. Arbor Day is on September 5 and the day's programme will focus on trees but there will be an emphasis on frogs and the role of trees in the lives of frogs. World animal day is on 4 October and the zoo will host a frog exhibition from 10am until 4pm. The money generated from the exhibition will be used for the conservation of frogs. Johannesburg Zoo is in Jan Smuts Avenue, Parkview. The main public entrance is on Upper Park Drive. The zoo can be contacted on 011 646 2000 or email them on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The zoo's website is www.jhbzoo.org.za.
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