Identity: Say hello to Mono

Children performed at the zoo as well

LAHORE:

Students from Message Grammar School visited Lahore Zoo on Friday to name the one-and-a-half-year old olive baboon. The baboon now goes by the name of Mono.

The children, from nursery and prep classes, performed on two rhymes on monkeys. A few of them dressed up as monkeys while performing on Five Little Monkeys. One of them played doctor and another mother. Some children sang Hum Gaye Chiriya Ghar.

The teachers had made a small set for the performance. Trees made out of cardboard and children holding pompoms added colour to the performances. A cake was cut and a plaque was put up carrying the name and breed of the baboon.

The students later gathered at the cage to catch a glimpse of Mono.

“I am here to welcome Mono. He is very cute. He was happy to see the cake we brought for him,” said Abdul Rafay from the playgroup.

The teachers The Express Tribune spoke to said the activity was beneficial for the children. They said it helped them learn about animals.

Lahore Zoo Deputy Director Mudassir Hassan said the zoo administration took it as their duty to educate children about animals.

“Such activities help children develop a sense of responsibility towards animals.

Next time they come here, they will know the difference between a baboon and other monkeys,” he said. He said that inviting schoolchildren to name animals at the zoo was a regular practice. A lion cub called Kara, a pair of lions called Raja and Rani, and a chimpanzee called Honey had all been named by students from different schools, he said. He said the zoo administration encouraged adoption of animals.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2015.