PUPILS at Walmore Primary School in Westbury-on-Severn became elephants for the day recently, with a visit from biologist and conservationist Ian Redmond OBE.

Ian, who is also a TV presenter, consultant to the Born Free Foundation and author of Elephant Eyewitness Guides, visited the school to teach the children everything there is to know about elephants.

Headteacher Brett Stevenson said: “The workshop was called ‘If I’d been born an Elephant…’ and asked the kids to imagine what their life would be like, and what they’d be like, if they were a baby elephant.  

“Ian took them on a virtual safari via www.vEcotourism.org and moved on to studying an elephant dung ball and acacia pods. 

“The children learned about conservation and the ivory trade’s effect on elephant populations. To round off the session, pupils made elephant costumes and role-played being elephants.

“Ian really brought these magnificent animals to life for the children in a fun and educational way.  Natural history is an important part of the curriculum and we were privileged to have a visit that inspired our children with such a vital environmental message.”

Ian added: “I was most impressed by how attentive and polite the children were.  They asked great questions, and many had clearly prepared, so it was easy for me to build on that.  They are a credit to the school and I hope they will now be ‘elefriends’ for life.”