Zoo Campers get animal perspective

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CALM Zoo Campers lean forward to hear what Education Manager Debby Kroeger has to say about the leashed skunk she displays.

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This is probably as close as CALM Zoo Campers Kiley Barton and Lily Denesha will ever get to a kangaroo rat again.

Eddie Zepeda's job is that of animal keeper but from June 25-29, between cleaning habitats and feeding animals, Zepeda became the CALM Answer Man. It was the second week of Zoo Camp at Bakersfield's California Living Museum (CALM) for children ages 6-12, and as they were led behind the scenes to learn about animals in the Mammal Round, the friendly and informative Zepeda suddenly found himself answering all kinds of questions from his curious and inquisitive guests.

"Have you ever been hurt feeding the animals," one youngster wanted to know.

"No, I just have to pay close attention and be aware of the animals' body language," Zepeda said.

"Is a coati (Kwah-tee, long-nosed relative of the raccoon) fierce," wondered another child.

"No. We have two of them, and one is timid, while the other is mischievous," Zepeda laughed. "One just wants to play, and the other just to be rubbed and scratched."

"Do you teach coyotes tricks cause yesterday one was acting kind of crazy," asked a young man.

"No, he's just like that," Zepeda replied. "Working with the animals is hard work everyday, but I love it. And because I am with them everyday, I get to know their habits. For instance, bobcats like feathers in their cages, and today, I am going to put a windup mouse toy in the coati habitat to give them something to play with and to see their reaction."

With most of their curiosities satisfied, the children went to the front of the mammal round to watch Zepeda inside the cage with the coati and, sure enough, the animals were hanging out with him like he was one of the family.

"It always is quite an adventure for the children," said CALM Education Manager Debby

Kroeger, who was teaching class this day. "It's not just seeing animals in their habitats that makes it fun. It's the thrill of finding out how and why the animals, plants and people who come in contact with each other co-exist."

Inside the classroom, Kroeger unveiled a smallish, timid kangaroo rat, that she left in a glass, portable cage, while she displayed and talked about it to children gathered around her on the carpeted floor. Kroeger explained the rat was far too quick and slippery to let out of the cage. And, the children also learned the rat, had another name, a scientific one — dipodomys, which means it has two feet, on which it has to hop around, much as a kangaroo does.

Later, outside in CALM's amphitheater, Kroeger's charges, numbering near two dozen, jumped back instinctively, almost in unison, as she unveiled and brought forth a skunk on a leash. Kroeger reassured all that sadly for the skunk, but luckily for the children, the ability to spray its legendary odor among the crowd had been removed by a previous owner. Kroeger explained that the skunk is slow afoot and would be easy prey for its natural enemies, such as the Bobcat, were it not for its ability to spray. The children reacted in amazement when she told them the skunk was accurate up to 10 feet with the spray that can stop the Bobcat in it tracks with a mist that painfully stings the eyes.

Then, it was off to lunch for the campers, as they prepared for more adventures in the afternoon and a ride on CALM's Central California Children's Railroad the following day.

Each day children attend science and nature workshops with plants, animals and fossils native to California, work on crafts and take-home projects and visit with CALM's ambassador animals. They also receive craft and project supplies, a disposable camera to capture a week's worth of memories and daily snacks. There still are openings in CALM's remaining two Zoo Camp sessions from July 9-13 and July 23-27. Each week long session is $160 for CALM members and $190 for nonmembers. Children can arrive at 7:30 a.m. but must be picked up by 5:30 p.m.

"They are very curious and love animals," Kroeger said of her week long guests. "They want to learn everything they can about the animals relative to their habitats, food sources, you name it. They don't like it when they learn some animals are prey for others to eat but, through education, they understand why it happens. And when we bring preserved or skeletal specimens of animals out for examination, the children check them out thoroughly. They know this is as close as they will get to the real animals that live here at the zoo and in the environments around them."

Click on this link, http://www.calmzoo.org, and it will take you to the CALM Web site, where you can learn more about it and Zoo Camp.


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