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Preschoolers experience the wild side of animals
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .After a promise from Jungle Terry that his African spurred tortoise's shell could handle the weight of a BUMP student, Jakob Zenko took a short turtle ride and expertly kept his balance.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor ."Jungle Terry" Sullivan (left) visited Boardman United Methodist Preschool on July 25 to share his collection of wild animals with the students of the school. BUMP student Emma Norris (right) was the first to meet one of Jungle Terry's animals, when she was called up to hold a chinchilla with very soft fur.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Preschooler Paloma Verde (center) cupped her hands to hold a button quail on July 25.
By SARAH FOOR
When Jungle Terry pulled onto the front lawn of Boardman United Methodist Church on July 25, he was hard to miss.
Dressed in safari gear and driving a zebra-striped Land Rover vehicle, “Jungle Terry” Sullivan was welcomed to BUMP by a very excited group of toddlers and preschoolers for an interactive show featuring Sullivan’s jungle pets.
Sullivan has been an animal handler for more than 20 years and finds that young kids benefit from the hands-on experience he offers.
“I’m going to be bringing out a lot of different animals for you, and as you touch, I’d like for you to think about how soft, spiny, prickly, or tough some of the animals are. The best way to learn is to touch and explore,” Sullivan shared.
During his presentation, Jungle Terry introduced each pet to one lucky guest, and then let everyone in the crowd touch and say hello to each animal. Jungle Terry introduced his chinchilla, hedgehog, albino skunk, button quail, box turtles, corn snakes and tarantula.
Highlights of the event included Jakob Zenko comfortably standing on the shell of an African spurred tortoise and the preschoolers working together to lift up Stretchy, a 15-foot python.
As the students touched the skin of Jungle Terry’s alligator Captain Jack, he reminded them that they were feeling a part of the world’s history.
“There are no dinosaurs anymore, but Captain Jack’s skin feels a lot like what a dinosaur’s would if they were alive today,” he pointed out.
Although many of the preschoolers were a little hesitant to touch the animals, many conquered their fears and were happy that they tried something new.
After nervously holding Rosie the tarantula for a few minutes, Jungle Terry took the spider back from Ella Smith and she let out a huge sigh.
“That was awesome,” she said when she was done.