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Children meet Outback Ray’s Amazing Animals at library
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Snowball, the Mossaic Chinchilla, was one of the most popular animals at the Austintown Library's summer reading program event held July 16 because of her soft fur.
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Neighbors| Natalie Scott.Many volunteers wanted to come up and feed carrot sticks to Franklin, the Red-Footed Tortoise at Outback Ray's Amazing Animal show for the Summer Reading Program at the Austintown Library July 16.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Outback Ray's favorite animals are snakes, including this Black King Snake, named Vader after the popular Star Wars villain, Darth Vader. Vader gave several volunteers snake hugs, snake neckties, and snake necklaces at the Austintown Library on July 16.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Families from all over came to see the exotic animals that Outback Ray brought with him, including, from front left, Sawyer, Addison; (back) Jamie, and Ericka Williams.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Outback Ray (right) allows Spike, the Bearded Dragon, to give a "lizard hug" to one young volunteer at the Austintown Library during Outback Ray's Amazing Animal show.
By NATALIE SCOTT
Everyone has a favorite exotic animal, but most people will never get a chance to see the different kinds of exotic animals in the world. Outback Ray, of Outback Ray’s Amazing Animal show, brought 10 exotic animals with him for children to see, and in some cases, come face to face with, to the Austintown library on July 16.
The conference room at the library was filled with parents and children who were excited to interact with animals they had never even heard of before as part of the library’s summer reading program.
“This has always been my favorite event at the summer reading program.” said Kathe Orr, a children’s librarian who helped coordinate the event.
Outback Ray cautioned everyone that although all of the animals he brought with him were captive animals that were used to doing his show with him, they must be quiet while the animals were out, both for the safety of the animal and of any volunteers he would call forward.
The first animal Outback Ray brought out was a Bearded Dragon named Spike. Next, a Mossaic Chinchilla by the name of Snowball captured the hearts of all with her soft fur.
Other animals included Black King Snake “Vader,” African Fennec Fox “Swiper,” the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach named “Romeo,” a Red-Footed Tortoise named “Franklin,” 4-foot long American Aligator “Erwin,” an Umbrella Cockatoo named “Gabby” who could say hello and laughed all the time, Silver Fox Rabbit “Blackjack,” and “Spongebob” the Albino Burmese Python.
Each time a new animal was introduced Outback Ray gave interesting facts about it, like that the African Fennec Fox is the smallest fox in the world, or that Gabby’s umbrella plume is used to make herself look bigger to predators in the wild.
Outback Ray allowed volunteers to feed Franklin, hold Romeo and Spongebob, receive “snake hugs” and “snake neckties” from Vader, and even let Erwin chase them all in the name of giving children the chance to see and learn about the exotic animals in the world.
“My favorite animal will always be the Albino Burmese Python or the Black King Snake.” Outback Ray said. “Snakes are the reason I wanted to work with animals as a kid. I have always been fascinated by them.”
Outback Ray has been presenting his Amazing Animals show at birthdays, as well as other public events for more than 25 years.