Lions, tigers and... termites?

Most kids have one or two animals they are particularly excited about seeing at the zoo. Usually something cool like giraffes and elephants, or something ferocious like lions and tigers.

Personally, I head straight to the Galapogus tortoises.

Can you imagine ever getting excited about seeing termites? Apparently there are a couple of zoos out there, including Zoo Basel in Switzerland, that have termites on display. I can't think of anything more dull. They're not exactly imposing... depending on the species (there are over 1000 apparently) I don't think they get much bigger than a bull ant.

Could you buy little paper bags of wood chips to feed them? Somehow I think seeing an ape peel and chew up a banana would be higher on the thrill scale than chucking some pencil shavings at a big mound of dirt hoping a 2mm sized pest will come out to collect it.

I've also discovered that in many African countries including Zambia and Tanzania, the people eat termites. Presumably they cook them in smoke or fire rather than eat them live and kicking. I doubt there's a factory churning out packets of termites like crisps. It reminds me of my trip to Cambodia and a young girl selling cockroach kebabs. I passed, in case you're interested.