On the 9th November 2023 we went to the Wilhelma with Ms Alt, our biology teacher, Ms Linden and Mr Gerstenberg. Our class wanted to see the brand new Australia House and learn something about evolution. We studied these topics in English and Biology.
At first we separated into two groups. The first group went to the Australia House. The inside of the Australia House is separated into two parts, the day part and the night part. In the day part you could see animals like koalas or small kangaroos which are unique to Australia and we had never seen before. In the night part there were nocturnal species of Australia like quokkas and other animals which looked like giant rats. In the beginning it was difficult to recognize something, because it was almost completely dark but as soon as our eyes were used to the dark, we could see many interesting animals. The plants and trees created an atmosphere that mirrored Australian wildlife. In the Australia House we had to complete a worksheet and collect some facts about an animal that we were allowed to choose ourselves. For many the highlight of the day were the koalas, which seemed extremely relaxed and very cute.
At the same time the second group learnt useful facts about evolution. The group was guided by a specialist and we took a closer look at the ginkgo, the passion flower, penguins and compared two birds with each other. But most of us think the tour was boring, because we learnt very much about evolution in biology lessons.
Then we changed the groups and at the end we had free time, so we could visit the animals we like, e.g. elephants, lions, giraffes, monkeys, or go to the restaurant. Afterwards most students went home right away, but some stayed at the zoo and met up with their family.
The visit was informative and interesting and all in all our class mostly recommends going there and seeing the exciting things the Wilhelma has to offer.
