43
Zoo animals entertain library visitors
POLAND
The Akron Zoo on Wheels provided some local children with their first look at a porcupine and a tarantula.
The traveling zoo made its first appearance in the Mahoning County public library system Wednesday and entertained a capacity crowd of about 200 children and adults, with the children ranging from babies to teenagers, at the Poland branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
It was the first of three scheduled appearances by the Akron Zoo on Wheels this summer in the county library system.
It was also the first of 11 free live-animal shows to be given by four different presenters this summer in 10 of the system’s 15 branches.
Leah Owens, an Akron Zoo education specialist, brought with her and displayed a North American porcupine, a Chilean rose-haired tarantula and an African savanna monitor lizard.
Owens said her goal is not only to entertain audiences, but also to teach them how the animals behave and function in the wild and how the public can help wild animals.
“You can help by visiting your local zoo,” she said, noting that Akron Zoo admission fees help support conservation organizations.
“You can also recycle and not litter, and, when you see an animal in the wild, you can just leave it alone, and let it do its natural thing.”
Lisa Lumsden, of Beaver Township, attended the program with her son, Henry, 10, and daughter, Annie, 9, who were among the first in line when the doors opened for the program.
“My kids love animals,” Lumsden said, noting that the family lives on an alpaca farm and has attended library-sponsored live animal shows in the past.
“My son some day hopes to be a zoologist, so anything that has to do with animals, he loves. So this is the perfect opportunity for him to see some different animals,” she said.
“I love animals,” Henry said, explaining why he wanted to attend.
“Savanna monitor lizards live on the savanna in Africa in the same habitat as lions and giraffes and elephants,” Owens told the audience while she held the animal in her hands. She added the lizard’s favorite food is snails.
Janet Loew, library communications and public relations director, said the live-animal shows are a popular program.
“The kids are absolutely delighted to see the different kinds of animals. Some of the presenters allow the children to actually touch the animals,” Loew said.
“The presenters tell them the chief characteristics of these animals, so they’re learning while they’re having fun, and, of course, we want them to learn more by checking out library books,” said Josephine Nolfi, library system programming director.
“Not everyone has transportation to go to the Akron Zoo, so, if we can bring the Akron Zoo to them, these kids will have an opportunity they may not otherwise have,” Loew said.
The 62-year-old nonprofit Akron Zoo contains more than 700 animals from around the world on more than 50 acres and is located just west of Akron’s downtown.
The zoo’s Mike and Mary Stark Grizzly Ridge exhibit includes grizzly bears, red wolves, river otters, bald eagles and a walk-in aviary. The zoo’s Journey to the Reef contains lion fish, clown fish and octopus.