Unfortunately, the amount of time allotted by modern man to communicate with nature is minimized, especially among urban residents. Most often, the relationship of people with the surrounding fauna and flora ends at the level of visits to the zoo or aquarium, where you can look at their inhabitants.
The contact zoo in Minsk is fundamentally changing the minds of both children and their parents about the inaccessibility of the animal world for a city dweller.
The purpose of the contact zoo
It is no secret that direct human contact with animals is not only excellent psychotherapy, but also gaining a new life experience. This is especially true for children's consciousness. Cases of introducing into the practice of human-animal communication during the rehabilitation of patients or mentally injured have been known for a long time. This type of treatment is called animal therapy. This is especially true for domesticated pets.
In animal therapy, cats, dogs, aquarium fish and parrots are most often used. Aquariums have developed a system for treating people by communicating with dolphins. Contact Zoo "Country Enotiya" in Minsk allows children to communicate not only with animals that can be bought at any pet store, but also with those that can only be seen in the forest or countryside.
It is revealed that the space in which some domestic animal is located is harmonized. This has a positive effect on people in stressful situations, and tantrums and moods stop in children. The idea of opening mini zoos where there is access to animals with which you can not only take pictures, but also play, feed, is useful for society as a whole.
To date, the third contact zoo in Minsk out of 10 planned institutions of this kind has already been opened.
SEC "Titan"
This shopping and entertainment center is well known in Minsk. Everything is arranged here for a quality family vacation. While mom and dad watch a movie or have dinner at a restaurant, their children will have an exciting maze, games with animators, laser fights, bowling tournaments and much more.
Since August 22, 2015, the first contact zoo in Minsk has been operating in Titan. He united children and their parents in personal participation in the life of the mini-menagerie.
For this unique project, a room of 300 m2 has been allocated, in which the walls are decorated in the style of the favorite children's cartoon “The Kruds Family”. Funny protagonists “watch” over several dozens of enclosures in which tame animals live.
To ensure that people do not harm the inhabitants of the zoo, workers are watching. In a situation where animals need rest, they close their enclosures for 20-30 minutes so that their pets can rest from children's attention. Thus, the contact zoo in Minsk in "Titan" was the first to involve residents of the capital in contact with cute little animals and birds.
The inhabitants of the zoo in the "Titan"
Among the "residents" of the mini-menagerie you can see:
- ponies who are so pleased to comb their mane;
- lambs and goats, always grabbing treats from their hands;
- rabbits that everyone loves to hold in their hands;
- moving and brisk ferrets;
- raccoon dogs philosophically perceiving children's attention;
- guinea pigs and not at all prickly hedgehogs.
In total, the contact zoo in Minsk (address - 104 Dzerzhinsky Ave.) has more than 20 species of animals and birds. The favorites of the little menagerie guests are budgies, which you can put on your hands, in contrast to the large and important peacock, which is better to watch from afar.
Zoo workers warn that it is better to leave jewelry and bright accessories in the storage room, since raccoons, these masked bandits, will not fail to steal them. In addition to animals known to kids, the contact zoo in Minsk offers to meet a rare guest - a skunk, who can be picked up without fear of a specific smell.
SEC "Tivali"
Shopping and entertainment center "Tivali" is striking in its scale. It has everything to not only purchase the necessary products and goods, but also to spend time with the whole family with benefit.
On 65,000 m2 there are shops, gaming halls, a cinema, cafes and restaurants, and now also the largest contact zoo in Minsk. In “Tivali”, 400 m2 of space were allocated for it. The interior of the menagerie is made in the style of another cartoon favorite by the children - Madagascar.
Numerous animals were comfortably housed in 20 aviaries, with which both children and adults are very pleased to make contact. Located in one of the most densely populated areas of the capital, the contact zoo in Minsk in “Tivali” is not empty even on weekdays.
For all inhabitants of the menagerie, optimal conditions have been created so that they feel comfortable and do not need anything. The animals are monitored by an experienced veterinarian; zoo employees regularly clean the enclosures. Guests are surely accompanied by an experienced guide who will not only tell a story about each pet, but also make sure that children and animals do not hurt each other.
The contact zoo in Minsk on Pritytsky has become a cozy home for its inhabitants.
"Residents" of the zoo in "Tivali"
Located in the background of scenes from Madagascar, the enclosures with their inhabitants fit in very harmoniously with the interior. Among those who can be looked at, stroked, fed, even picked up, are:
- sociable chipmunks;
- curious raccoons-stripes, from which everything shiny and bright should be hidden;
- no less interesting noses;
- restless ferrets;
- lazy guinea pigs;
- nimble rabbits;
- Majestic alpaca greets guests of the zoo with its baby.
Of the feathered inhabitants of particular interest are mandarin ducks swimming in an artificial pond. Familiar pigeons sit on their hands in search of food, and decorative hens surprise with their plumage the smallest guests of the zoo.
The contact zoo in Minsk, no matter in which shopping center it is located, has its own system of rules for visitors, which should be strictly observed.
Rules for visitors
To avoid problems when people come into contact with animals in the menagerie, when buying tickets, each visitor, regardless of age, is given shoe covers and his hands are disinfected. This is a precaution, rather, for the safety of animals, since clean and grafted animals do not threaten people.
Not all inhabitants of the zoo can be touched. For example, an enclosure for raccoon dogs can be entered only in the presence of a worker who carefully monitors that children do not scare animals. Most of the children near the departments in rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs and guinea pigs. They can not only be ironed and fed, but also picked up.
For most children, such contact occurs for the first time, so the reaction is completely different. Someone may even burst into tears of fear, but more often babies are curious and trustful towards animals and birds.
You cannot bring food to the zoo from home, but at the entrance you can buy everything that its inhabitants love so much. One glass of fruit and vegetables costs 20,000 bel. rubles., and two will cost 30,000 bel. rubles (80 and 120 rubles. rubles, respectively). Perhaps the pleasure is not cheap, but the children’s experience with animals and positive emotions are worth it.
Every 30 minutes animals are given rest if the caretakers notice that they are tired of communicating with people. If animals sleep in their enclosures, then they are not allowed to disturb, you can only watch them.
Additional entertainment
Since children can be difficult to get away from enclosures with animals, and some of them just require a temporary change of scenery and activities, the founders of the mini-zoos have provided special zones in the menagerie.
Children's tables with comfortable chairs are designed so that kids can draw their favorite animals. To do this, on each table there is paper, pencils and felt-tip pens. For older children, a board is equipped on which you can not only portray the inhabitants of the zoo, but also learn how to correctly write their names.
Experienced animators conduct quizzes and contests for the best knowledge of the animal and plant world with children. The Contact Zoo (Minsk), whose work mode allows everyone to join their inhabitants every day from 10.00 to 21.00, is a great example of how to teach kids not to be afraid of the world, but to respect and value it.
Pet therapy sessions
For children with developmental problems, free pet therapy classes are provided on weekdays . This helps kids to get out of their painful state, learn to trust animals and understand them.
All classes last 1 hour, conducted by specialists in animal therapy. All emotions and conditions of children are monitored from one session to another in order to note changes in their mental state and change the program if necessary.
As practice shows, the communication of sick children with animals helps to accelerate recovery.
Further development of contact zoos
Given that the contact zoo in Minsk, ticket prices which are 80 000 bel. rub. (320 Russian rubles) on weekdays and 100,000 bel. rub. (400 rubles. Rubles) on weekends, it does not happen empty, he has a great future.
All 10 planned mini-zoos will become places where children can get a new experience that will forever make their life kinder and more interesting.