A group of girl guides took a walk on the wild side during a day-long takeover of Colchester Zoo.

Cambs Times: Girls holding bugs.Girls holding bugs. (Image: Archant)

The 1st Manea and 4th March Rainbows, all aged between five to seven, joined more than 2,000 other girl guides from across the region on the safari adventure.

The girls explored the zoo, spotted exotic animals, met mini beasts and adopted two animals – Lili the Giraffe and Opal the Elephant.

Lili is a female giraffe who arrived at Colchester Zoo in 2009 from Dv?r Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic.

She is the same age as many of the Rainbows and will celebrate her sixth birthday on July 29.

Opal is a female elephant who was rescued from Chipperfield Circus and has been in Colchester Zoo since 1998.

1st Manea leader, Sophie McNamara, said: “It was a great opportunity for the girls to learn about endangered species.”

For more information about Girlguiding call 0800 1 69 59 01 or go to www.girlguiding.org.uk