Wellington Zoo New Zealand Sign Language Visitors Guide About Wellington Zoo
Wellington Zoo was New Zealand’s first Zoo, having been established in 1906.
There are over 500 animals at Wellington Zoo, comprising over 100 species. Some are critically endangered – like the Sumatran tigers or Campbell Island teals – and some are unique in New Zealand to Wellington Zoo – like the Malayan sun bears and White cheeked gibbons.
You can find out more about this fantastic zoo at www.WelingtonZoo.com or by Ph 04 381 6755 200 Daniell Street, Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand
About This Guide This guide was designed to help children who use New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) have a more enjoyable and educational visit at Wellington Zoo; and to help their family, teachers, and friends to share the zoo experience in New Zealand Sign Language.
Where to get this Guide
This guide has been developed to be available FREE. You can download a copy at : www.signplanet.net ~ An online dictionary of NZSL www.voicethruyourhands.co.nz
©Bilby Publishing & Consulting Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved
2 Who’s At The Zoo? Africa ...... 4 Giraffe Meerkat African Lions African Wild Dogs Hamadryas Baboons Servals Chimpanzees Cheetah Lemurs African Crested Porcupines Ostriches
Asia ...... 6 Malayan Sun bears Small Clawed Otter Sumatran Tigers tiger White Cheeked Gibbon Red pandas
Americas ...... 8 Spider monkeys Cotton top tamarins Capuchins Peccaries Tarantulas Llamas Emperor Tamarins
Australia ...... 10 Sulphur crested cockatoo Emus Pelicans Wallabies Little Red Flying Fox Dingoes Eastern Grey Kangaroo
New Zealand Natives ...... 12 Brown Kiwi Grand and Otago Skinks Tuatara Campbell Island Teal Kaka Kea Kereru
Describing Animals ...... 14 More Signs ...... 18 Index 3 Africa Giraffe Lions
How to Sign It How to Sign It Move cupped hand With both hands spread, from neck up and fingers slightly bent, at temples, palms towards out as if tracing a head; move hands down to shoulders, wiggling long neck fingers. Hint Giraffe have a very long neck Hint Lions have big manes. Hamadryas Baboons Chimpanzees BABOON
How to Sign It Cupped hands move up and down sides of body as if scratching Hint Monkeys scratch fleas. Lemurs Ostriches How to Sign It First fingerspell O (By taping ringer finger LEMUR with pointer finger. Then bunch fingers together and tap forward. May raise arm well above heado to represent long neck
4 Africa Meerkat African Wild Dogs How to Sign It African :See African MEERKAT Porcupine description
Dog :With both hands in front of armpits, palms down, knuckles pointing forward and fingers bent downwards (thumbs pointing towards each other but a distance apart); bounce hands downwards 2 or 3 times.
Servals Cheetah SERVAL
How to Sign It With pointer finger extended backwards from fist quickly touch opposite chest, stomach and shoulder. Then claw both hands downwards in front of sides at waist and quickly step one downwards then the other. Hint Cheetah are spotty and run fast. African Crested Porcupines How to Sign It African :Start with hand in a fist, palm forward, in front of shoulder. Spread fingers out as you move hand downwards in an arc, then return to a fist at end, near waist.
Porcupine : Place a spread open hand, palm forward and fingers pointing slightly towards elbow, behind and against the fist of other hand and swivel spread fingers forward and up slightly.
Africa 5 Asia Sun Bear
How to Sign It Sun : Take your closed hand and open downwards
Bear : Lower eye brows and open mouth, showing teeth. Claw fingers forward and apart and hold one high above shoulder and the other in front of shoulder. Shake hands and arms slightly. Red Panda
How to Sign It Red :With pointer finger extended from fist, pointing upwards; tap chin two times.
Panda : Cup hands around eyes so that palms face each other and pointers rest above eyes and thumbs rest below them
White Cheeked Gibbon How to Sign It White : Form a circle with pointer finger and thumb at neck, other fingers extended, rock hand forward twice.
Cheeked :With hand in a fist, pointer and thumb extended from fist and hooked on either side of cheek; grip cheek and shake cheek a little.
Gibbon (monkey) : Cupped hands move up and down sides of body as if scratching
6 Asia Tiger
How to Sign It Clawed hands move forward one after the other. Can be followed with second part of C shaped hand drawing stripes across chest. Hint Tigers have sharp claws and creep. Otter OTTER
Asia 7 Americas Spider Monkey
How to Sign It Spider :Claw fingers forward and creep upwards, while wiggling fingers
Monkey : Cupped hands move up and down sides of body as if scratching
Capuchins CAPUCHINS How to Sign It Fingerspelt (as above) and then followed with the ‘Monkey’ sign (Cupped hands move up and down sides of body as if scratching)
May also only Fingerspell CAP, then sign Monkey
Emperor Tamarins
How to Sign It Moustache :Pinch pointer finger and thumb together on both hands. Start with fingertips meeting under nose , palms facing forward. Move hands downwards in an arc towards sides.
Monkey : Cupped hands move up and down sides of body as if scratching 8 Americas Peccaries PECCARIES How to Sign It Often just fingerspell. However fingerspelling may be followed with the ‘snout’ sign : Form an open circle in front of nose with fingers and thumb and move hand forward slightly.
Llamas Tarantulas LLAMAS
How to Sign It Spider :Claw fingers forward and creep upwards, while wiggling fingers
Cotton Top Tamarins
How to Sign It Form a crest on the top of head with flat hand and arc forward, spreading out fingers.
Monkey : Cupped hands move up and down sides of body as if scratching
Americas 9 Australia Cockatoo Pelican
How to Sign It How to Sign It With other fingers in a fist Start with hand in a fist, and pointer finger straight, palm sideways, and touch thumbtip to pointer tip. thumb resting on the Move hand forward in a straight line, center top of head. Keeping wrist almost still, then arc downwards back to chin. flick fingers out and spread and fan forward.
Kangaroo Wallabies w
How to Sign It Bounce downward cupped hands forward in an arch three times. How to Sign It Note First sign W by inter-threading Loan Sign from Auslan widely accepted in NZ. Fingers. Then Kangaroo (see description left)
Emu
How to Sign It Move bunched hand forwards and backwards (like a pecking emus beak) Hint Emus have long necks and peck at things. Notes Loan Sign from Auslan 10 Australia Little Red Flying Fox
How to Sign It
Little : With hand in a fist, pointer and thumb ex- tended sideways front fist and apart; move hand forward a little at chest height.
Red :With pointer finger extended from fist, pointing upwards; tap chin two times.
Flying : With wrists close to shoulders, hands pointing outwards, fingers slightly spread, palms down; flap fingers down and up twice or three times. Keep wrists still
Fox : Place hand in front of nose with fingers bent towards you and thumb extended, move hand away while closing fingers towards thumb. Like tracing the snout
Dingo
How to Sign It Australian : In front of sides, form a circle with middle finger and thumb on both hands, spread other fingers apart, palms face down. Move hands up, forward then downwards, flicking all fingers out spread in front of you.
Dog : With both hands in front of armpits, palms down, knuckles pointing forward, and fingers bent downwards (thumbs pointing towards each other but a distance apart); bounce hands downwards 2 or 3 times.
Australia 11 New Zealand Kiwi Tuatara
How to Sign It How to Sign It First form a fin with flat With other fingers in a hand on the top of fist and pointer finger head. Then, spread straight, touch thumbtip hands, palm down, in to pointer tip. Starting with front of you, a small the back of hand touching distance apart. Move one hand backwards as or just in front of lips, move hand the other moves forwards. Then front hand forward in a large downwards arc. moves back as the other forwards. Repeat. Kaka Kereru KERERU
How to Sign It While mouthing Kaka; with back of hand against chin, thumb How to Sign It pointing forward, and Often finger spelt. Then starting with pointer finger followed by the bird sign : pointing forward and upwards; move pointer Bring pinched fingers in finger only so that it hooks down to tap thumb- front of mouth and open tip, returns straight and taps thumb-tip again. and close, like a bird's beak Grand Skink GRAND How to Sign It Fingerspell GRAND then sign Skink/Lizard : Start with fist in front of mouth (off to one side slightly), with palm forward and thumb in front of fingers. Flick pointer finger out of fist so that it points upwards once or twice
12 New Zealand Otago Skink
How to Sign It Otago : Form a circle with fingers and thumb in front of chest and move hand in an upwards circle twice.
Skink/Lizard : Start with fist in front of mouth (off to one side slightly), with palm forward and thumb in front of fingers. Flick pointer finger out of fist so that it points upwards once or twice.
Campbell Island Teal How to Sign It Fist fingerspell TEAL; then, with fingers and TEAL thumb both extended forward from palm, and apart; in front of mouth tap thumb and fingers together twice.
Kea
How to Sign It With other fingers in a fist and pointer finger straight, touch thumb-tip to pointer tip. Starting with the back of hand touching or just in front of lips, move hand forward in a small downwards arc. Hint Kea have a long hook on their beak
New Zealand 13 Describing Animals Asleep Baby
How to Sign It Tilt head to side, How to Sign It close eyes and rest With one arm on the head in the palm of on flat hand. other, move arms as though cradling a baby Big Bumpy
How to Sign It Start with both hands How to Sign It With flat hand extended in spread, in front of stomach, one slightly in front of the other. front of you, palm down, Move hands outwards to your sides. wiggle hand up and down and towards your side.
Cheeky Dangerous
How to Sign It How to Sign It With hand in a fist, Both hands point out from body pointer and thumb at waist. Move arms at elbows so that hands are extended from fist and hooked on either side moved to above shoulders to be pointing up. of cheek; grip cheek and shake cheek a little.
Dirty Fast
How to Sign It With both pointer fingers How to Sign It extended quickly slide Rub spread hands, one finger forward palms facing each along the length of other, in a circle. the other. 14 Describing Animals Fin Feather
How to Sign It With thumb and How to Sign It pointer finger touching and other fingers Start with hand flat, straight, move fingers palm towards you, left and right slowly as fingers pointing up-
Furred Friendly
How to Sign It Start with fingers of both hands spread sideways and on chest. Draw How to Sign It hands out sideways across chest and bunch With one hand holding the other fist bounce fingers together in front of shoulders twice. hands downwards twice.
Heavy Hungry
How to Sign It With both hands palm upwards, fingers How to Sign It spread, at chest The palm of the flat height, move hands right hand is placed downwards on the stomach and laboriously, twice. rubbed round in an anticlockwise direction.
Jumping Noisy
How to Sign It With pointer and middle fingers apart, resting on palm of other hand, pull hand upwards and curve fingers towards palm. How to Sign It With pointer finger extended from fist and pointing to ear, draw a forward circle once or twice around ear Describing Animals 15 Long Lots
How to Sign It With pointer finger and How to Sign It thumb extended in L Start with pointer fingers shape (thumb pointing upwards), tap blade of touching. Bring hands hand onto the palm of your other (flat) outwards to sides in a straight, horizontal line.
Many Poisonous
How to Sign It With both hands spread, How to Sign It palms towards armpits, Raise little finger fingers pointing upwards; upwards from palm move hands sideways, back fist and shake while wiggling fingers. side to side in front of shoulder. Scary Short
How to Sign It How to Sign It With fingers bent into an Shake clawed hand in upside down L shape at head and out from chest. height, move hand downwards.
Small Smelly
How to Sign It How to Sign It Hold hand flat, palm With both hands flat, sideways, fingertips fingers pointing away pointing upwards and from body, start with hands at body width apart wave hand in front of nose two or three times, and move hands towards each other. keeping wrist still and bending hand at wrist. 16 Describing Animals Soft Strong
How to Sign It With palm facing up and hand at hip, start with fingers How to Sign It and thumb apart and gently bring Clench both fists above shoulders fingers towards thumb, but do not touch thumb. and shake fists outwards slightly. Alternative Sign with palm face forward. Alternative May also be signed with one arm
Tame (Friendly) Tall
How to Sign It With hand flat, palm How to Sign It down and fingertips With fingers bent into forward; start at chest height and stroke hand upside down L shape, down sideways in an arc twice. at head height, move hand upwards
Teeth Tiny
How to Sign It How to Sign It With hand in a fist, pointer and thumb extended Tap teeth with sideways front fist and apart; curved pointer finger move hand forward a little at chest height.
Whisker/s Young (fledgling)
YY
How to Sign It How to Sign It With hands (or just one hand) in Finger spell Y twice a fist, pointer finger and thumb extended apart (By placing the tip of extended pointer with tips just to the side of mouth; draw hands finger into the cradle between the thumb and sideways and close pointer tip to thumb tip. pointer finger of other, spread hand) Describing Animals 17 More Signs
We hope you enjoyed your visit to Wellington Zoo and learning the signs for all their wonderful animals.
This guide uses signs extracted from the New Zealand Sign Language Picture Dictionary Vol 1 And was created in celebration of New Zealand Sign Language Week 2-8 May 2011
If you would like to learn more Animal Signs go to www.SignPlanet.net, a FREE online dictionary of New Zealand Sign Language.
Or visit www.VoiceThruYourHands.co.nz for information about courses and more great NZSL resources
18 More Signs Special Thanks
Special thanks and acknowledgement must be provided to Wellington Zoo for their support of this project.
We would also like to acknowledge the Deaf community whose help and guidance has been invaluable. We would like to be able to thank you all individually, but there have been so many of you who have helped and guided us along the way.
Also special thanks needs to be provided to Leanne Eichler, Carolyn Piper, Debbie Rickard, Christine Clark, Alison Newcombe, Jill Broom, Lathainia Picking, Amanda Rickard, Paul Buzzard, the board and volunteers of Voice Thru Your Hands, without their commitment to raising the awareness of Visual Communication this resource would not have been possible.
Lastly, to Lee Bilby whose passion for animals and dedication to helping everyone access sign Language motivated her to donate her time and skills to this project. Her Sign Language illustrations and descriptions, design prowess and dedication made this booklet come together.
Finally, thank you. As a user of this guide you are helping to raise awareness of New Zealand Sign Language and access to the language for all New Zealanders.
More Signs 19 Wellington Zoo New Zealand Sign Language Visitors Guide