A Safari in the Middle of Leipzig

With the aim of making children's eyes light up, the DHL Hub Leipzig held a Kids Day at Leipzig Zoo. Madlen Wolf has been working at the Hub for more than ten years and was one of the 25 volunteers who assisted with the event. It was an unforgettable day for her, too.

For Madlen it was a matter of course to support the Kids Day of the DHL Hub Leipzig.

Enthusiasm, joy and amazement - that's what I could see in everyone's faces on October 22, 2022. It was Kids Day - the day on which the DHL Hub Leipzig enabled children and young people from Delitzscher Tafel and Internationale Frauen Leipzig e.V. to visit Leipzig Zoo.

Together with my two-year-old son and other dedicated helpers from the Leipzig hub, we waited at the entrance for the group to arrive. I could see them from far away. They were hardly to be stopped. "I want to see the monkeys," came from one side. "Are there lions here too?", from the other side. Everyone received an entrance ticket. Then they went off in groups to explore: past zebras, seals and rhinos. The children's noses were glued to the display windows and it wasn't easy at all to get them to move on to the next stop.

Experiencing the world of animals: A real highlight for the kids.

At 10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., they could even join a guided tour organized especially for this Kids Day. Hyenas always have twins? The mane of the lions serves as protection during fights? I also learned something on this day. What did it have to be like for the kids? They pestered the zoo guide with questions and couldn't get out of their amazement. At lunchtime we ate at Kiwara Lodge with giraffes and gazelles. After lunch the safari continued. We explored the rainforest in Gondwanaland by boat and stopped at the gray giants. And that's when it hit me: "I've never seen a real elephant before," I suddenly heard from a school-aged child. I was speechless. I was so touched and so stunned at the same time. As a mom, I regularly take my son on trips to the zoo. But what I take for granted was actually a first-time experience for most of the kids that day.

To make sure they didn't forget, everyone received a voucher for the zoo store so they could take their favorite animal home with them as a stuffed version. - Madlen Wolf