Bob the owl takes on 100 centimetre sprint
Friday 20 July 2012
Tiny owl gives Bolt a run for his money
© ZSL
As the world’s athletes descend upon the UK for the summer games, one member of Team GB is preparing for his own epic feat of endurance - Bob the burrowing owl and his 100 centimetre sprint.
Sprinting towards the finish line on his custom-made track, Bob well and truly steals the limelight at ZSL London Zoo’s daily ‘Animal Athletes in Action’ demonstration, with his somewhat unusual running technique.
Wings and legs akimbo and whole body leaning forward, Bob opts for speed over style when it comes to running, but the six-inch-tall owl is continually working to beat his personal best at his daily training sessions.
Bob’s keeper Jamie Pearce said: “Bob is without a doubt the star of Animal Athletes in Action, and he’d give any Olympic athlete a run for their money!
“Although Bob has a funny running style, he’s actually quite fast and in fact, he’s showing off a completely natural sporting talent.
“Burrowing owls are very unusual in that they live in holes in the ground. They’ve adapted to run on land and they use their fast sprinting abilities to escape from predators. Although Bob doesn’t have any predators here at the Zoo, he still enjoys showing off this natural behaviour.”
It’s not just Bob joining in with the fun of London 2012. Visitors to the Zoo this summer can check out the diving skills of the penguins, learn all about the impressive weightlifting abilities of BUGs and discover how monkeys put their gymnastic talents to use as part of the Animal Athletes events .
