Durham science museum plans annual watermelon day

During the day, the museum's bears and other animals will get to enjoy watermelon. It's a mess and a lot of fun to watch. The image gallery will give you a glimpse of the fun!

During the day, the museum's animal keepers will be available to talk about hot weather animal care and answer questions from guests.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. though the watermelon activities will wrap up around 4 p.m. Admission to the museum, which includes the watermelon activities, is $14.50 for adults and $10 for kids ages 3 to 12. The museum welcomes watermelon donations. You can drop them off at the admission desk.

"Our Watermelon Day programs give guests an up-close look at some of the techniques we use to keep our animals cool and the important role enrichment activities play in their overall health," said animal department director Sherry Samuels in a press release. "Tossing whole melons into the bear pool encourages them to swim for their treat and a whole melon with cut out shapes gives our lemurs a unique challenge - they can see and smell it but have to work to access the fruit!"  

Here's the Watermelon Day schedule:

4 p.m. - Bears, Exhibit Overlook Platform