Dear Margaret, April 2008

Dear Margaret,I’ve just got to share! I visited a zoo today – haven’t they changed! Lovely glass windows to look through to beautiful rooms, no more of the harsh bars and ugly concrete enclosures. And very high tech you know! They can control the temperature so the animals don’t get too hot – or too cold. They measure how much food is being eaten and keep track of how the exhibits are performing. They can monitor the health of one of the animals just by pressing a button and don’t even need to be in the same room!

But guess what, I saw a dinosaur! I really wasn’t expecting it… but even more – the dinosaur was green. I had no idea! When I asked the zoo-keeper about the dinosaur they said they were the easiest exhibit to look after, and despite their size they gave the best performance and really didn’t eat a lot! I was really, really surprised!

Now I’m off to the library to learn more about it!

Mrs Zed.

Dear Mrs Zed,

Like you, there are many people who think the dinosaur is long gone. However, there are hundreds of them stuck away in zoos all over the world, quietly going about their business. You know that one single dinosaur can keep more zoo visitors happy than a whole zoo full of monkeys! And like you I was also very surprised to learn that the dinosaur was green.

Margaret