Wild Isle: Bronx Zoo: Madagascar!

Where can your miniature Jane Goodall and Edward Abbey bounce between baobab trees, laugh until they’re as red-faced as tomato frogs, play tag with ring-tailed mongooses and stretch near slinky, catlike fossas?

“Madagascar!”

In June, after six years of prep work, the Bronx Zoo, in connection with the World Conservation Society, opened the doors to “Madagascar!,” its newest permanent exhibit. “Madagascar!” transports visitors to the wilds of the earth’s fourth-largest island, a country just off the African continent’s eastern coast.

“Madagascar isn’t just a movie,” says Sue Chin, director of planning and design for WCS. Boasting 22 families of plants and animals that can’t be found anywhere else, the nation is celebrated for its diverse ecosystem. Unfortunately, many of its species are endangered due to the mistakes that humans have made—such as cutting down forests, which destroys the animals’ natural habitats.

Inside “Madagascar!,” wildlife enthusiasts can get up close to the frisky, furry critters that inspired lemur-characters King Julien XIII, Maurice and Mort from the DreamWorks movies. They’ll also meet a couple of big-toothed crocodiles (named Cody and Pamela by the zoo staff), geckos, iguanas and lizards, and creepiest of all, a tree-trunkful of hissing cockroaches. WCS hopes that children who experience the exhibit will come away with an understanding of why it’s important to care about these creatures. “In 20 years, if we don’t protect this place, they’re going to be gone,” says Chin.

Whether you’ve already explored “Madagascar!” or you’ll be heading there in the days to come, the Time Out Kids guide will help you and your budding conservationists learn more about this magical place teeming with fantastic fauna. Check out the links below for a slide show of the stars of the exhibit, a Q&A with an animal keeper (who told us lots of little-known facts about the “Madagascar!” menagerie), the top four reasons to save the island, and the inside story of the making of the exhibit. Plus, take our quiz to test your animal instincts. Welcome to the jungle!

	The animals of “Madagascar!”: Do you know how a hissing cockroach makes noise? Or how far a lemur can leap? Find out the answers to these questions and other fun facts about all the species on view at the exhibit.
	Friend to the furballs: Wild-animal keeper Sabrina Squillari gave us the inside scoop on the critters she cares for, so your kiddos can impress pals with their trivia knowledge.
	Madagascar matters: Make sure your little one leaves “Madagascar!” with a sense of why the place is so important. Here, our top reasons why the African island must be saved.
	The Making of “Madagascar!”: While it saves one country, the World Conservation Society is helping the whole earth.
	Video: Hissing cockroaches: Time Out Kids video host Stephen Haskell finds out what NYC kids think about the creepy crawlers.
	Quiz: Test your “Madagascar!” IQ: Are you a newbie to the rain forest, or do you know the wild things as well as any Malagasy native? Answer these questions to find your animal aptitude.

For more information, visit bronxzoo.org