For the sixth year in a row, the Krackerjack Karnival organised by the Exhibitions India Ltd. group brought a whole lot of fun to children of all ages in the capital, delivering on its promise of a colourful event where children can shop, play and learn. The expansive lawns of Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium were lined with colourful stalls filled with a vibrant array of merchandise for sale, rides and activities for the children. All decked up in their winter clothes, the youngsters wandered about the fair, candy floss and balloons grasped tightly in their little fists, peering over counters at the toys on display, and dragging their parents to the numerous shows, performances and live demonstrations taking place at different places around the fair.
This year, Wildlife SOS got to be a part of the fun as well, with a colourful stall set up exclusively for us with walls adorned with posters and pictures of Wildlife SOS’ rescued animals, and tables lined with our colourful merchandise. The stall also featured some fun wildlife and conservation related activities and games for the children, to get them acquainted with conservation in India in a fun, interactive way. While the older children played rounds of wildlife Pictionary, the younger ones helped the Wildlife SOS team draw colourful animals in a forest drawn on a large canvas. Even the adults had their bit of fun, joining their children in the Wildlife SOS photobooth to get their picture taken with a prop of one of our wonderful rescued sloth bears!
The highlight of the stall was, however, the reptile corner which featured pictures and information about some of the commonly found species of snakes in the city as the backdrop to a live demonstration with some of the snakes by the Wildlife SOS staff. As soon as word got out that there were snakes in the stall, a crowd of excited children surrounded the space and watched in awe as the rescue team showed them a red sand boa, common sand boa, rat snake, wolf snake and even a monitor lizard and told them all about these incredibly misunderstood animals, all the while answering the children’s many questions.
Seeing the ease with which the team handled the reptiles, the children seemed to overcome their apprehensions regarding snakes with many excitedly asking if they could touch them too and proclaiming that they now love snakes! The purpose of the event was to teach children about the reptiles they share their city with, and to sensitise them to these animals, thereby ensuring that misplaced fear does not cause people to kill snakes and lizards, encouraging the attendees to contact our 24-hr rescue helpline in case they find a wild animal in distress or trapped in their homes. Judging by the positive response from the children in attendance, we’d say the demonstration served its purpose and was quite a success!
The Krackerjack Karnival lasted for the entire weekend, and saw the footfall of lots of youngsters and their families come in and have a wonderful time, shopping, eating delicious food and playing games while learning some valuable lessons along the way. Wildlife SOS had an amazing time being a part of this fun-filled adventure!
