Science classes travel for education

California has a wealth of zoos, from the San Diego, to San Francisco, to our own Fresno Chaffee zoo. However, there are few zoos in California that specialize in wild cats, one of them being Cat Haven. Zoology and AP biology will be taking a trip to this zoo, May 4.

Dr. Karen Walters, teacher of AP biology and zoology believes that a field trip to Project Survival Cat Haven will benefit her classes by giving them an opportunity to get close to wild animals as well as learn about their anatomy.

“The trip to Cat Haven is an opportunity to learn about wild cats up close and personal,” Walters said. “This field trip serves as a special laboratory activity off campus. In addition to a tour of the facilities and animals, students will take a special class on mammalian skulls – structure and function. We also learn about endangered species and the efforts at conservation.”  

While many go to Cat Haven to learn about wild cats, Cat Haven is also dedicated to conservation as written in their mission statement.

“While some of the cats at Project Survival have been orphaned in the wild or have needed to be re-homed due to varying circumstances, we do not call ourselves a sanctuary,” Cat Haven writes. “We provide excellent homes for all of our cats but our focus is to educate people about the plight of endangered cat species, and to raise funds for the conservation projects in the wild. Working to mitigate problems between cats and people in the wild, these projects are vital to protecting and conserving these beautiful animals.”

As Cat Haven’s mission is to preserve wild cats they have a variety of cats at the park. From small cats like the Fishing Cat to large ones like the Tiger.

In addition to housing a large variety of wild cats, the Haven also supports a variety of conservation programs such as Actions for Cheetahs in Kenya. This work helps Cheetahs through various means such as awareness and research.

If you would like to learn more about Cat Haven go to their site at cathaven.com

For more articles please read: Seniors use portfolios as “exit ticket”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @MatthewSue1 and via email: Matthew Sue.