Picture of national geographic presenter Ben Britton showing pupils servals ahead of big cat week.No flash as it will frighten the cats.Ben Britton with Crunchie at Our Lady of the Angels PS
YEAR 5 pupils at Our Lady of The Angels Primary School glimpsed the wild when Nat Geo Wild presenter Ben Britton visited with a 15-month-old serval to promote animal conservation on Monday.
The pupils learnt about the diet, environment and physical traits of the African wild cats when Crunchie, who was bred in a zoo in Pretoria, South Africa, was shown to the class.
Mr Britton said servals were used in education programs in America, Europe and New Zealand, but the newly-formed Nat Geo Wild Cat Ambassador Program was the first in Australia.
It took the Hills resident, who has worked with exotic species for more than 15 years and is involved in conservation efforts in Botswana, about four years to get the program approved.
"It's about conservation through education," he said. "We show the servals without bars or without glass . . . to help foster a bit of love and appreciation of these animals," he said.
Ben Britton's Big Cat Week documentary is on Nat Geo Wild on Sunday, March 17, at 7.30pm.