Wild Wonders is home to one hundred and thirty unique animals all with their own backgrounds. You will soon discover is that no two animals are alike.
Lucy, our snapping turtle, has been getting some extra attention and treats lately. We have seen a recent decline in Lucy’s health, so we have been working to make her more comfortable. Staff and interns have been taking her out regularly to bask in the warmth of the sun.
Soaking up some sun
Lucy enjoys eating small mice twice a week, but lately she is getting spoiled and is being fed daily. In the following video you can see Lucy eating some chunks of beef; a special treat.
Check out this wonderful video of some of our animals on Access Hollywood.
Victor, Lucy, Cody, Sneezy, Thelma, Louise and Lil Timmy all made an appearance on the episode and they look great!
After a busy weekend with the fundraising event and shows, the animals like to take a little time to themselves and catch up on their sun. When its warm enough we try to give every animal some time to spend outside so they can get some exercise and a couple of hours in the sun. Today, was a perfect day for the animals to take a break from their ambassador jobs and hang out in the outside breeze. They seemed to enjoy themselves.
Yakov the Russian Tortoise
Armando the Armadillo
Cezar the Iguana
Lucy the Snapping Turtle
All volunteers, interns, and staff at Zoofari have to learn how to safely handle the animals they will be working with. The volunteers and I had an intensive learning session with Kim Wright, the Compound Manager, on how to handle some today. Catherine, one of the volunteers, was a little reluctant at first to hold the cockroaches and snakes, but she stepped up to the task, acting like a pro in no time. It’s amazing how quickly a person can get over being squeamish by holding an animal and looking at it a little more closely.
Catherine wielding Sandy Boa like a sword!
Donna trying to keep Sandy from slithering away
We all practiced handling one of the “baby” boas, who are no longer babies, by any means.
Sophie holding Lucy, the snapping turtle
Don’t try this at home! Snapping turtles have a very long reach with their necks. They can almost reach their back legs! Lucy is used to being handled, and is pretty docile (for a snapping turtle).
Here is my favorite snake, Harley, the hognose snake. His little upturned snout is so cute! Who would think a snake could be cute? He is our only venomous snake, but the venom is more like that of a bee sting.
Harley, the hognose snake
He looks like he’ sticking his tongue out at us. He uses it to taste the molecules in the air, instead of smelling. Look closely at his underside, with the strong black and orange markings. We’re lucky to have such an awesome snake.
-Casai
Here is a great NBC 7/39 in case you missed it.
Kim, the Senior Zookeeper always does such a fantastic job.
Chloe, the Coati, opens up the show with her silly coughing. Opps looks like we put the mic to close to her face.
Soy, one of 9 hedgehogs at Wild Wonders, is definitely one of the sweetest. She is always easy to pick up and rarely curls in a ball. Trust me you don’t want these awesome creatures to curl up, the sting from the prick can last a while.
Lucy, our snapping turtle, moves so slowly that algae has grown on her. It isn’t harmful to her skin or health but it definitely funny to look it. The algae helps her blend in and keeps her safe from predators (But I am not sure who would try to attack an animal with such a crazy looking shell, she looks so prehistoric)
Will keep you posted!!
