The Language of Conservation

The Language of Conservation is a program funded by the Institute of Museum Sciences, which brings together poems and nature, the Milwaukee County Zoo and Milwaukee Public Library, with help from Poets House, are placing poetry displays all around the Zoo. These poems, which express the beauty, power and importance of nature and wildlife, will hopefully inspire us to protect our environment and promote conservation.

Visit the Milwaukee Public Library and check out some of these books featuring Animal Poetry:

           

A Whiff of Pine, a hint of Skunk What is small, black, has a white strip down its back, and is known for its smell?  The skunk!  A skunk can spray a bad-smelling musk as far as 15 feet away.  Don’t worry though, it only sprays when it feels like there’s a predator near by and it’s in danger. Sometimes people don’t think this cute creature is any good, but that’s not the case in Deborah Ruddell’s book, A Wiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk.  This animal is actually very helpful to farmers because they eat crop pests.  The striped skunk is very common in Wisconsin – see if you can spot one!
Face to Face with Leopards To see leopards more closely, check out Face to Face With Leopards, by Beverly and Dereck Joubert.  The snow leopard has a great color of fur, limbs and muscles that allows it to blend into its mountain home of bare rocks and snow.  They have furry paws that act like snowshoes and can even jump up to 30 feet!  Most of them are located in the Tibetan region of China.  Today, snow leopards are endangered, or losing their homes, learn more about them and help protect these great cats.  Find one nearby at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
Life-size Zoo How do you wear your hair?  Is it different from your friend?  Much like humans, zebras are all unique.  Each zebra has a pattern of stripes that makes it special.  They all enjoy spending their time outside by rubbing their bodies and heads and rolling in the dust.  When zebras are hungry they eat savanna grass, some bark, leaves, roots, and stems of bushes.  Let’s learn more about zebras, and other animals, by reading Life-Size Zoo by Teruyuki Komiya.  Try to count the zebra’s stripes!
African Acrostics Do you like cats?  Well in African Acrostics, by Avis Harley, you can see pictures and learn about all of your favorite big cats.  The cheetah is the world’s fastest land animal.  They’re able to go from standing still to as fast as a car, or 70 mph!  It helps that cheetahs have longer legs and a leaner body than other cats, yet they can only sprint so far.  This means they spend the rest of their time eating, sleeping and spending time with one another – just like us.  
Eric Carle's Animals Animals Pretend you’re a giraffe by sticking your tongue out.  The giraffe has a tongue that’s 18 to 20 inches long and is black and blue.  Now stand on your tiptoes and reach your hands as high above you as possible.  While you might be very tall, giraffes are the tallest land animals.  Their legs alone are six feet long!  We have three giraffes at the Milwaukee County Zoo, but if you want to see some big animals at home, hunt for Eric Carle’s book, Eric Carle’s Animals Animals.
Swan Song: Poems of Extinction A trumpeter swan is called so because of the loud and deep honking call they give.  It really does sound like a trumpet or bugle!  Swans always nest in the same place and mate for life.  Unfortunately, these amazing birds almost disappeared.  In Swan Song: Poems of Extinction, by Patrick J. Lewis, he reminds us how close we were to forever losing the beautiful songs of swans forever.  Like swan’s thick layer of down that keeps them warm in winter, bundle up for the cold and get to the library today. 
The Yellow Elephant Elephants are usually grey with skin so thick it’s almost an inch; however, they can still feel a fly land on them!  They can also be other colors in your imagination – as in Julie Larios’s book, The Yellow Elephant.  Elephants can come from your mind or Asia and Africa.  They grow their whole lives, so at the Milwaukee County Zoo zoo keepers make sure to cut their nails weekly.  An elephant’s trunk helps them to take care of themselves.  It’s very strong, helps them pick things up and is used to drink water. Can you pretend your arm is an elephant’s trunk?