CHILDREN were able to pet a snake, a meerkat and even an armadillo when an exotic animal petting zoo came to Butetown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the event last Wednesday (October 30), youngsters got a chance to get close to the animals at a time when playing outside in the street is not always possible due to anti-social behaviour, according to organisers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The children had a great time, and loved the meerkat even though they said it was \u201cpongy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA) organised the event for children who have been affected by anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the area, as well as the financial burden the school holidays can be on parents and guardians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the first time the event has come to Butetown, which recently saw increased police powers due to people using fireworks irresponsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sam Evans, a neighbourhood manager for CCHA, said: \u201cASB is a concern but CCHA work closely with PCSOs to be mindful of what to be aware of locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe want our communities to know that we are committed to investing in our heartlands and amplifying the voices of community members.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CCHA provides 3,000 homes across the city, with other centres in Tremorfa and Trowbridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A&S Animal Encounters, the educational group that held the event, usually works with schools and colleges, but has worked with CCHA\u2019s other centres in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aled Owen Jones, A&S course leader, said: \u201cChildren these days are hugely disconnected from nature and most inner-city children\u2019s only interaction may only include dogs, cats or maybe\u2026 guinea pigs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He believes that showing the kids these sometimes \u201cuncharismatic\u201d animals and teaching them about concepts like population decline can help instil a sense of responsibility about the environment, a crucial step in fighting climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He says that it\u2019s \u201ca great way for members of the community to gather together\u2026 whilst also creating a link between staff and the people who are currently in CCHA homes\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The petting zoo visited because ‘children these days are hugely disconnected from nature’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1207,"featured_media":86986,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[2796,6812,392,3749,224,8846,8845,8844],"coauthors":[8787],"class_list":["post-86979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-animals","tag-anti-social-behaviour-2","tag-butetown-2","tag-cardiff-community-housing","tag-education","tag-meerkats","tag-snakes","tag-zoo"],"yoast_head":"\n