Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub
Read Lulu Bell and the Tiger Cub Online
Authors: Belinda Murrell
Meet Lulu Bell. Where there's Lulu, there's family, friends, animals and adventures galore!
Year Three are going on an excursion to the zoo. Luckily the zoo vet is one of Dad's best friends, so Lulu and Molly and their friends get special treatment!
When a tiger cub gets into trouble and hurts its leg, the zookeepers take it to the hospital for treatment. The zoo vet sets to work with Lulu and Molly looking on. Will the tiger cub be okay?
To all the wonderful teachers who have inspired my kids over the years â thank you!
Zoo Excursion
Lulu hopped from foot to foot to keep warm. Her backpack bumped up and down on her back. Overhead the sky was heavy with dark grey clouds.
It was Wednesday morning and everyone was at school super-early. Lulu felt a bubble of excitement in her tummy. Today was the day of the big zoo adventure.
All the year three students from Shelly Beach School were going on the excursion. It was extra special for Lulu because the zoo vet, Dr Bradley, was one of her dad's best friends. Dr Bradley had promised to give Lulu and her friends a special tour.
The kids were gathered in the playground. They were wearing casual clothes instead of their school uniforms.
Lulu was rugged up in her scarf and jacket and a woolly cap. Her best friend Molly had her hands buried deep in her pockets to keep warm. Lauren skipped over, carrying her backpack in one hand.
âBrrrr,' said Lulu. âIt's freezing. I hope the bus comes soon.'
The teachers, Miss Baxter and Miss Donaldson, were organising the children into lines.
âCome on, 3B,' called Miss Baxter. âIt's time to get your names marked off the roll.'
Mum was standing to one side and chatting to the other parents. She had volunteered to help on the excursion. Dad would take Lulu's younger sister Rosie to school later. Her three-year-old brother Gus was spending the day with friends.
âFingers crossed I'm in your group, Lulu,' said Molly. âIt will be so much fun.'
Lulu nodded, her eyes shining.
âDad spoke to Dr Bradley last night,' said Lulu. âShe said our group can come and visit her at the zoo's vet hospital. We might even get to watch an operation.'
Miss Donaldson smiled at them. âIt sounds like your group is going to have some very special treatment, Lulu. I wish I could come with you.'
At last the big blue bus pulled up at the front gate.
âYippety-do,' cried Lulu.
All the kids piled on the bus and stowed their backpacks under their seats. Lulu, Molly and Lauren sat together. Mum sat beside the other parents. With a rumbling roar, the bus pulled out.
âWe're off,' said Lauren. âI can't wait to get to the zoo.'
âI wonder what animals we'll see today?' asked Molly. âI hope we see lots of elephants and meerkats.'
âI'd like to see the wombats and the tigers,' said Lulu. âAnd the monkeys. They always make me laugh.'
The boy sitting behind Lulu began to make âoooh-oooh-ahhh-ahhh' noises.
He jumped up and down on his seat, scratching his head with one hand, and under his arm with the other.
Lulu, Lauren and Molly turned around and giggled.
âMax, you make a perfect monkey,' said Lulu.
Max gave a cheeky grin. âJust call me king of the jungle!'
His friend Daniel chuckled. âThe king of the jungle is the lion. You're more like the jungle joker, Max.'
Max ruffled Daniel's hair, knocking off his cap.
The bus ride took half an hour. The excited kids talked, laughed and joked. The noise was deafening. At last, the bus pulled up at the zoo entrance. The kids piled off.
The teachers divided the year into
eight groups of five. Each group was led by a parent or teacher. Lulu went to stand beside Mum. Miss Baxter called out the names of the other children in their group: Molly, Lauren, Max and Daniel.
âYay,' cried Molly. âWe're together.' She linked one arm through Lulu's and the other through Lauren's. Max and Daniel gave each other a high five.
Mum smiled at them. âLooks like I have a fantastic group.'
Mum had her big camera slung around her neck. A clipboard with the zoo map and the plan for the day was tucked under her arm.
Miss Donaldson gave them their instructions. âEach group will explore the zoo on their own,' she said. âPlease make sure you stay with the adult in charge.
We don't want anyone to get lost.'
Miss Baxter waved a sheaf of papers. âAnd here are your treasure hunt sheets. Let's see which group can answer the most questions.'
The sheets had a list of trivia questions about different kinds of animals. Which were the biggest, tallest, sleepiest and most popular animals in the zoo?
Molly took the group's sheet and began to read.
âWhich do you think is the most popular animal in the zoo?' asked Molly. âMaybe the koalas?'
Max shook his head. âThe goofy, gangly giraffes.' He put his arms up high, making himself tall and lanky.
âNo, the zany zebras,' added Daniel. He wiggled his eyebrows. âOr perhaps the loony lions.'
Lulu thought about it. âI can't decide,' she said. âI love them all.'
Miss Donaldson pointed to a green area on the map. âWe'll meet at the park at one o'clock for a picnic.' She checked to make sure everyone was listening. Then with a big grin, she shooed them away. âOff you go, year three. Have lots of fun!'
The groups set off in various directions. Mum had already studied the map and planned a route.
âWe'll go down this path,' said Mum. âWe're meeting Dr Bradley at the vet hospital at ten o'clock. We have time to see some of the animals along the way.'
Lulu threw one of her honey-coloured plaits over her shoulder. âCome on, everyone,' she called. âLet's explore.'
Meerkats
The five children hurtled down the path. Mum followed close behind.
Lulu and Molly looked over the treasure hunt sheet. Molly read out the first question. âWhich is the largest land mammal in the world?'
âEasy,' said Max. âThat would be the
enormous
elephant.'
Lauren looked over Molly's shoulder as she wrote down the answer.
âThe next one is much harder. Which animal can eat scorpions because it's immune to venom?' asked Lauren.
Lulu frowned. âScorpions are highly venomous,' she said. âI don't think any animal would want to eat them.'
âWe'll have to keep a good eye out,' said Molly.
Ahead and to the left was a low wall. It was painted a dull sand colour. The kids ran to peer over it.
âA mob of meerkats!' cried Lauren.
Inside the enclosure was a large family of about twenty meerkats. They were small grey animals with brownish bands on their fur. They had dark patches around their eyes.
âI love watching the meerkats,' said Molly. âThey almost look like they could talk to us.'
One of the meerkats sat on top of a hillock to keep watch. He made a soft peeping noise. The rest of the family was gathered in the sand. Some were grooming each other. Others were feeding or resting. A couple of youngsters chased each other around the enclosure, tumbling and turning. Mum took photos.
Max and Daniel looked at the sign.
âMeerkats live in the deserts of southern Africa,' Daniel read aloud.
Max pointed to three meerkats who were sitting up on their hind legs. They looked as if they were sunbaking.
âHey, the dark patches around their eyes act like natural sunglasses,' read Max. âHow cool is that?'
âThey look like film stars posing on the red carpet,' joked Lauren.
Everyone laughed.
Lulu read the sign quickly.
âFound it!' she cried. Lulu pointed to the last paragraph. â
Meerkats
can eat scorpions as they are immune to their venom. They also have a high immunity to snake venom.'
âUgh,' said Molly. She shuddered. âThat's disgusting.'
Lauren took the clipboard and wrote the answer on the treasure hunt sheet.
Max and Daniel ran zigzagging down the path.
âCome on, girls,' said Mum. She folded up the map. âLet's keep going.'
The boys had stopped outside a big enclosure. It was protected by a tall glass wall. Inside was a mini rainforest with bamboo groves, trees, fallen logs and long, thick grass. To the left was a green pond. The children pressed against the glass.
âWhat lives in here?' asked Lauren.
âTerrifying tigers,' said Max. He roared and pounced on Daniel for a wrestle.
âThe Sumatran tigers,' said Molly, reading the sign. âThe smallest tigers in the world.'
âThere's a mother with three cubs,' added Lulu. âTwo girls and a boy. The male tiger lives next door.'
âWhere are they?' asked Daniel.
The children looked around the enclosure carefully. There was no sign of any animals. Lulu felt disappointed. She badly wanted to see the tiger cubs.
âThere,' said Max.
A pair of tawny eyes peered from the shadows. The female tiger stalked out of the undergrowth and into the open. She was dark orange, with thick black stripes and smaller patches of white. The tiger looked around, her long white whiskers twitching.
âAnd here are the cubs,' whispered Lulu.
Three roly-poly cubs tumbled out of the shadows. They pounced and rolled,
ears over tail. They wrestled and played like oversized kittens. They tussled on the side of the pond, then chased each other through the water, splashing and bounding.
âAren't they beautiful?' asked Lauren.
The mother tiger wandered towards the front of the enclosure, where the five children huddled together. She flopped down in a patch of sun, her back pressed against the glass. Molly jumped away in fright.
Max pressed his palms against the glass. His eyes shone with excitement. âShe's so close I feel like I could pat her.'
The children kept watching the tigers. The male cub was bigger and bolder than the other two. He scrambled up on a fallen log then jumped off, bowling his sister over. Using his claws, he clambered
up a tree trunk, before dropping clumsily to the ground.
The cub hid in the grass and pounced on his mother's tail, as if it were a snake. His mother batted him away with her paw. Then she held him down and licked him with her long, raspy tongue.
The cub wriggled away. His sisters chased him and tripped him over, starting another round of mock-fighting.
Their audience laughed with delight.
âI wish I could get right inside the enclosure,' said Lulu. âWouldn't it be lovely to cuddle those cubs?'
âThey're adorable,' said Mum. âBut I think the mother tiger would have something to say about you cuddling her babies.'
âGrrrr. She'd eat you all up,' joked Max.
