A student is set to live like an ape at Paignton Zoo
for 24 hours to raise money for ape conservation.
Student Lewis Rowden is going to live like a gorilla at Paignton
Zoo for 24 hours to raise money for ape conservation.
Which means Lewis, who dislikes most fruit and veg, will be on a
strict gorilla diet including pepper, leek, spinach, parsnip,
turnip, sweet corn, cabbage, boiled potato, beetroot, banana,
apple, tomato, pineapple and passion fruit.
His 24 hour sponsored camp-out on the Zoo’s gorilla island will
raise money for the European Association of Zoos & Aquaria Ape
Campaign 2011.
Research placement student Lewis Rowden said: “I was reading
about the ape campaign and wondered what I could do to raise a bit
of money. I thought about becoming a human zoo exhibit for a day –
after all, humans are apes, too.”
“I am a bit of a fussy eater – of the vegetables, I only eat
peas, potatoes, green beans and – so long as they are cooked
thoroughly - carrots and pepper.
"In terms of fruit, I pretty much only eat Granny Smith apples,
though I’m beginning to eat things like mango, grapes and some
berries.
“What puts me off is mainly the texture but also the taste of
things like raw carrots, mushrooms and cauliflower. There’s not
much in the gorillas’ diet that I eat, so this will certainly be a
challenge for me! I’m very much a carnivore and eat a lot of
carbohydrates.”
Lewis will start his time on the gorilla island on Friday 13th
and continue into Saturday 14th May.
