Sunday, July 3, 2022

Engagement Communautaire/Visite au Bioparc

 Engagement Communautaire/Visite au Bioparc

Bonjour à tous et à toutes! Hello everyone!

Please excuse the delay in posting this particular update; the end of last week was quite busy as we prepared for our departure to Normandy on Friday. We returned late Saturday evening and then spent today (Sunday, July 3rd) celebrating the 4th of July in advance of tomorrow since we have class. Photos for both events will be forthcoming at the beginning and middle of this week respectively.

Students participated in a community engagement activity, which our awesome on-site coordinator arranged in conjunction with the mayor of Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent. We met up with Mr. Néron at a nearby park/local pathway that many in the community utilize on a daily basis. There, everyone was given gloves and a trash bag and divided into three groups: plastic, metal, and misc. Below are some photos of our awesome students improving the community in which we live!

The students divide into groups based on the type of trash they were looking for

Dawn-Cheryl wasted no time in stepping into the brush and picking up discarded plastic items

Hannah collects a metal can

The students work together to clean up one of the paths in the area

Yara and Molly pick up a Mars bars box that contained a few... friends

There were several snails living in the corner of the box, which they gently removed and returned to the area in which the box was found

Jean-Luc poses for a photo 

The students briefly regroup at the halfway point and take a moment to drink some water and take care of anything else that they needed to do during the short break


Several students ascend the path from the end point near the reservoir.

Summer and Yara speak with the Mayor Mr. Néron who stuck with us the whole way, handing out more gloves and trash bags and picking up the more hazardous glass material we encountered

Shane was happy to get his hands dirty in helping Hannah collect various pieces of litter

At the end of the two-hour clean-up, students had nearly filled twenty-two bags of assorted trash and litter. The mayor was very pleased with the outcome and we all returned to Saint Louis feeling content with our ability to help this community!
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An optional activity that students could do was to visit the nearby Bioparc. While "bioparc" might be a fancier word for a zoo, it feels quite different from typical zoos you might encounter in the US. For one, it houses the largest aviary in Europe with over 1000 different birds. Interestingly, with the exception of the more dangerous animals, many sections of the park are open for animals to move freely (monkeys, birds, etc). Of course, the more predatory animals are kept in their own enclosures, which are, perhaps, larger than many exhibits in US zoos. We met up at the Bioparc at 2:00 pm on a Saturday. Our on-site coordinator and Shane (our logistics coordinator) spent a fair amount of time organizing carpools; Thank you Marie-Odile and Shane!

Students pose just inside the entrance of the zoo before separating into groups of three or more to explore!

For the first hour or so, the weather was not super cooperative, but thankfully it was just a light mist for the majority of that time. The instructor team took the opportunity to explore the park, while also enjoying some time socializing with the various student groups we bumped into.

Annalyse takes a moment to watch the giraffes just inside the entrance 

At the first exhibit, Ruby takes a picture of one of the animals, an Okapi (see below)

An Okapi, a kind of forest Giraffe

A Muntjac Deer in a nearby exhibit

A duck prunes its feathers

A Heron perches at the apex of a roof on a nearby building

Throughout the park, there are a variety of wooden sculptures of animals that people can pose with. Below are two with which Shane and Evie wanted a photo.



Having recently learned about troglodytes, the students were interested to find that there are a variety of caves throughout the park, connecting various parts and giving a brief history as well. 

We found Camille, Hannah, and Cassie in one such cave

Throughout the caves, there is quite a bit of information on the various fossil forms you can find in the area. Of course, this particular display was of a megalodon skull, the largest shark (and fish) to ever exist, and Grace was both intrigued and amazed!

Monick, Abby, and Brooklyn stop to take a look at the vultures and other birds of prey

A carrion bird about to take flight (with Evie in the background)

Many students were especially apprehensive in the aviary where more than a thousand birds cohabitate together. In several areas, the birds will allow you within a foot or two of them. It's a really unique experience for those that enjoy bird watching to be able to see them up close. Please enjoy these photos from the aviary!

A blue parrot sits perched on a wooden rail

A Humboldt penguin enjoys the water

Two Humboldt penguins stand on a rock overlooking their water habitat


A Roseate Spoonbill takes flight


A Red Parrot looks at us skeptically

Most students stopped about halfway through the visit to the Bioparc for a quick bite to eat at one of the cafés. There, we caught up with some of the groups and chatted for a little bit while eating a late lunch.


Camille and Cassie eat a sandwich at the cafe next to a netted exhibit with other birds

Several groups eat together while Luka goes through everyone's names. For those that he could not remember, he came up with some creative alternatives... some of which have stuck!

Annalyse takes a moment to review some of the photos she has taken... she has an excellent eye!

Abby poses for a picture 
She was the impromptu explorer and guide of her group!

Following lunch, the groups went their separate ways to see a few of the more predatory animals (bears, lions, cheetahs, etc). 


A black bear sleeps on a log within its enclosure

Between the Guinea pig enclosure and the bear enclosure, a group of students runs into the instructors

A cheetah waits patiently for a zoo employee to finish explaining to a crowd about their enclosure and natural habitat... s/he knew that food was coming!

Happy with the food given after the explanation, one of the cheetahs retreats to eat its dinner

Many students were surprised by the general size and breadth of several of the exhibits. The lions' enclosure included several large cliff structures with varied plant growth and terrain color and texture.

A lion and one of his mates view the crowd from one of their cliffs


It's been a great few weeks so far, and the students are all making excellent progress! Please check back this week for an update with photos from our Normandy trip as well as from our celebration this weekend of the 4th of July. I'll leave you with this last group photo of all the students who came to the Bioparc and the instructors, which we took right before heading home:




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