After managing to get all 32 members aboard one public bus and despite being disappointed that there were not enough headsets for everyone, they were soon divided into two groups.
Hannah left us a voice message, transcribed as, “It was my first time with Eye Matter attending an in-person event and I was really grateful to be met at the railway station. I really enjoyed the experience of us all travelling together on a bus and getting to know some of its members who were all so friendly. It was so interesting to hear about the different reptiles, animals and birds within the Zoo. We had a very knowledgeable guide who gave us so many interesting facts and it was great to feel real camel fur – it was so soft, nothing like I thought it would be! I felt also felt very honoured to be able to calculate a parrots wing span, purely by touch, of its tail feathers. I was exhilarated in overcoming my apprehensions about going near goats. In fact feeding and petting these pygmy goats was one of the day’s highlights for me. It was such an amazing, lovely day and so looking forward to my next adventure with Eye Matter!”
Suzie Simon’s (Eye Matter’s founder) said, “We saw red river hogs and burrowing owls. There was also a chance to feed and cuddle Pygmy goats; one was called Magic who was particularly cheeky in stealing the bucket of treats! We met up with our friends the Bactrian camels, Genghis and Noemi whom we had met last year.”,
Kevin P said, “Thank you eye matter for organising such a lovely visit to London zoo. I had a wonderful time. My volunteer was incredibly helpful in guiding me along with giving me fantastic descriptions of the animals and their environments which made my day truly special.”
Suzie continued,”We saw some scarlet ibises (wader birds native to wetlands of Australia, Africa, Central Asia and Europe), flamingos, and extremely endangered macaw parrots.”
Jay said, “A big thank you to all the wonderful volunteers, administrators and members of Eye Matter for making the trip to London Zoo so enjoyable and well organised. I truly appreciated all your help and support.”