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Perth Festival: Wild Things makes kids’ hearts sing at Perth Zoo

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Simon CollinsThe West Australian
VideoPunk? Funk? What gets Tricia the Asian elephant’s trunk swinging? Turns out it was a classical soundtrack provided by the Perth Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Zoo on Friday that soothed the not-so-savage beast.

Punk? Funk? What gets Tricia the Asian elephant’s trunk swinging?

Turns out it was a classical soundtrack provided by the Perth Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Zoo on Friday that soothed the not-so-savage beast.

The 64-year-old matriarch took a stroll to meet and greet PSO musicians plus the young curators of Perth Festival event Wild Things, which takes over the Zoo on Sunday.

After the short performance from PSO musicians, zookeeper Ed Brown said that Tricia was not too fussy when it came to music.

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The Perth Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Zoo
Camera IconThe Perth Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Zoo

“She’s pretty happy with anything,” he said. “Anything that’s a little bit too bass-y, they’re not too keen on it.

“They communicate through low frequency noise so they can misinterpret … They rely a lot on vibrations through their bodies.”

Mr Brown said that Tricia and younger Asian elephant Permai were both intrigued whenever musicians showed up at their enclosure.

“She’s definitely very curious about all the instruments. Any new noise from an instrument or a piece of machinery, they’re very inquisitive about.”

The keeper described Tricia, who was born in Vietnam and came to Perth Zoo in 1963, as “very vocal”.

“She does a lot of her own music,” he added. “She’s definitely got a voice, but I’m not sure if it’s a singing voice.”

And how does Tricia, as one of Perth Zoo’s most famous animals, deal with all the attention?

“She takes it like a pro,” Mr Brown laughed. “On her birthday, we had quite a few people here and all she wanted to do was get to the cake.”

Wild Things swings into the Zoo for two three-hour sessions on Sunday, with human guests including local musical acts Grace Barbe, De Cuba Son and Soukouss Internationale, plus authors James Foley, Frane Lessac, Alton Walley, Kathryn Lefroy and Helen Milroy, joining the animal stars.

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre designer Leon Hendroff has built a 10m-long numbat for 30-minute performances of The Last Numbat, a furry tale of survival and sustainability.

Ten children from Years 4-6 were chosen for Wild Things from the Festival’s Curated by Kids program, beginning workshops in December.

Perth Zoo discovery and learning manager Kelsie Prabawa-Sear said the young curators were passionate about animals and their conservation.

The Zoo really provides a different opportunity for us to work with an amazing group of kids, who are tomorrow’s conservationists, if not today’s conservationists.

Following the lead of conservation projects in Africa, the kids had made jewellery out of wire previously used to snare animals in the wild.

Ms Prabawa-Sear said the repurposed material has been turned into what she called “snare wear”.

Executive director Wendy Attenborough said Wild Things was a chance for the Zoo to share their conservation message and mission.

“The Zoo is a conservation-based organisation and it really provides a different opportunity for us to be able to celebrate that and to work with an amazing group of kids, who are tomorrow’s conservationists, if not today’s conservationists,” she said.

“And help them understand the really important role of zoos in preserving species and in making sure there’s a planet for the future.”

Wild Things is at Perth Zoo on Sunday, February 28. There are two sessions: 9am to midday and 2-5pm.

For tickets and more information visit perthfestival.com.au.

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