MCPL Presents: Animal Tales

By PJ Martin 

Editor, The Herald-News 

 

The Metcalfe County Public Library sponsored a wonderful program for children last Wednesday at the Bowling Park gym called Animal Tales. 

 The program teaches children about animals they might not be familiar with. The presenter is Grant Allen from Owensboro, Kentucky, who has been an animal handler for about 16 years. Each of the animal ambassadors (mammals, reptiles, birds, or insects) has a name and is actually taken care of full-time by him in his home. 

 He presents the animal and talks about where they are from in the world, their native habitat, what they eat, and other interesting facts. He also involves the children in part of the presentation of the five species. This series is about the animal relationship to prehistoric dinosaurs. The goal of the program is to teach and inspire children while entertaining them. 

 The first was a pair of insects called Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. The pair were named Sam and Sally, and these are not your average cockroaches; they are a super-sized three to four inches long and can live 3-5 years. Grant talked about the hissing sound they make and the small holes on the side of their heads called spiracles, and they eat dead plant matter from the forest ground. 

The second was a European Legless Lizard named Luna. Although Luna resembled a snake, Grant explained that her body section is very short compared to a snake’s. The lizard lays eggs, sleeps with its eyes closed, and lives in crevices in rocky landscapes.

Next was a green-winged macaw named Einstein, who was not very talkative today, but did say ‘hi’ and ‘hello’. He did, however, call for Oliver, who Grant explained is the family dog. These birds come from the Rainforests of South America, and Einstein is 52 years old. They can live to be 70 or more. 

Franklin, the Red-Footed Tortoise, was next, and although he is a rather large tortoise, he can get up to 10-16 inches and weigh 30 pounds when full-grown, and can live up to 50 years. They are found in the forests of Central and South America. Grant explained the difference between a tortoise and a turtle. Unlike tortoises, turtles can close themselves completely within their shell and have webbed feet.

Three volunteers helped hold the last reptile, a Ball Python named Shadow. They get their name because when frightened, they roll themselves into a ball. They flick their tongue to taste the air, and they have no venom, but are a constrictor which sneezes their prey of rats and mice to death before eating them. 

 At the end of the program, anyone who wanted to touch Shadow was allowed, but was told to wash their hands afterward. The children seemed to have a good time and had several questions. 

 If you would like to see videos of these animals, go to the Metcalfe County Public Library Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/metcalfecountypubliclibrary.