A roarsome experience

Residents from Pemulwuy and Greenwood residential care homes recently enjoyed weekly visits with zoo animals as part of a new program at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.

The purpose-designed Aged Care and Dementia Program gives residents the opportunity to interact with a variety of animals and get involved in hands-on activities run by the zoo’s educators.

Over six weeks, residents got up close and personal with the zoo’s many animals including elephants, giraffes, koalas, lizards, seals and even snakes – all while enjoying the spectacular scenery of Sydney harbour.

They also had fun helping prepare food for the chimps and lemurs and gaining insight into the feeding process.

For Greenwood centenarian Win, the program was particularly memorable, fulfilling her lifelong wish to see the Sumatran tigers including cubs Mawar, Tengah Balam and Pemanah.

The visits were also a highlight for our teams who enjoyed the zoo almost as much as the residents did!

Group Marketing Manager Kate Tipping said the program was a big hit among residents, with more visits planned for 2025.

“Residents enjoyed meeting all the different animals and their keepers and felt very special participating in the behind-the-scenes experiences,” she said.

“A big thank you to all the teams who helped to make this happen!”

Feature image: Nursing assistant Samjana supported Pemulwuy residents during their visits to Taronga Zoo where they saw many animals including elephants and (inset) Sumatran tigers.