A PRESTON school was turned into a mini zoo when a flock of feathered and furry friends paid a visit.

Among the animal guests at Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Junior School were a macaw, terrapin, barn owl, buzzard, boss monitor lizard, tarantula and snake.

But it was Taz the macaw who stole the show, hogging the limelight by perching on his keeper's shoulder or climbing up his leg. The noisy bird often takes to barking and meowing at his home in Ribbleton, copying his cat and dog pet friends.

Keeper John Makinson takes in the animals after they have been rescued from unfortunate fates elsewhere. His 2ft 6ins-long lizard joined the fold after the RSPCA in Bristol found the creature with a nasty burn caused by being kept in an over-heated tank.

John told the children about the exotic animals and their needs, and how to look after their own pets.

The visit raised £50 for the Citizen's Brick by Brick appeal to fund the building of a new day care extension at St Catherine's Hospice in Lostock Hall.

Richard Walsh, headteacher of the school on Emerson Road, said: "St Catherine's is one of the most important local charities as it supports patients and families at a most vulnerable time. The pupils have visited the hospice several times."

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