Boo at the zoo

boozoo032: Boo at the zooEven if it is called “Boo at the Zoo,” parents know their children won’t be frightened by the annual event at the California Living Museum (CALM). For the 12th year, CALM presented Boo at the Zoo on October 25, a fun, educational and entertaining prelude, sponsored in part by Yellow Book, to the trick-or-treating that takes place at other venues on October 31.

Costumes are optional for “Boo at the Zoo” but bats are not. Kris Mashburn, “the bat lady of Ojai,” has become a traditional guest for the event. When she visits CALM, Mashburn never leaves home without her bats. Approximately 600 visitors had the opportunity to see one of three Mashburn slide shows featuring bats she has taken pictures of from around the world. Audible “oohs” and “ahs” were a regular reaction from audience youngsters, awed by the size and color of the bats and the information about them. All eyes were on Mashburn as she suddenly produced a live pallid bat to peak their curiosity even further.

“Almost 250 children participated in crafts about bats, bears and spiders, went on an animal scavenger hunt and collected bags of treats for their accomplishments,” said Debby Kroeger, CALM manager.

Speaking of treats, visitors were witness to a trick-or-treating experience unique to CALM. Those animals whose diets permitted were given pumpkins courtesy of their keepers. Inside were dietary treats. The trick in this trick-or-treat scenario was how to get the treats out without breaking the pumpkin. Actually, when dealing with animals, there is no way to get the treats out without breaking the pumpkin. But then, for the visitors that was part of the attraction, watching how black bears Cinnamon and Dart, raccoons and other animals examined the pumpkins trying to figure out what awaited them inside. Their next priority was finding the quickest and most efficient way to get at the goodies. That too provided lots of entertainment for visitors and CALM staff alike.

At CALM, the emphasis was really on taking the “boo” out of the zoo. One of the features that takes the fear equation out of young children discovering animals for the first time are the docents. They regularly brought out CALM’s ambassador animals, so the young ones could see each up close and also learn about them.
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