Read other blog entries about "Faith": Cancer: Exotic Animals Battle It Too and Blind "Faith," the Fennec Fox

The word armadillo means "little armored one" in Spanish. Their thick, leathery shell is made of keratin (the same stuff as our fingernails) and the 3-banded has two half domes of shell, separated by three armored bands. Their head and tail are covered with bony plates and the headplate pattern is unique to each armadillo — like an identifying fingerprint. These are nocturnal creatures and spend their nights hunting for insects — ants and termites being favorites. They do not dig their own burrows, but instead borrow abandoned anteater holes. Their feet are especially unique. Their front insect-digging claws are so oversized that they walk on the tip of the largest claw — like a ballet dancer. The three center toes on their back feet are fused, like stumpy hooves. They don’t have typical teeth either — they have small peg-shaped teeth that lack enamel. And, they lap up their bugs and rotting fruits with a long sticky, pink tongue.

Tuck was shared with us by another educational facility. He is a quiet and shy Latin gentleman, but is naturally curious and will explore his surroundings looking for something wiggly to snack on. And, he won’t hesitate to quickly tuck into his famous shape to demonstrate his special skill at self-protection. Tuck will be traveling with us this summer to more than 50 free Texas library shows as part of our new "Animal Locomotion" program. Come meet Tuck in person — just don’t take it personally if he doesn’t untuck to meet you!

Unlike other arachnids, such as true spiders and scorpions, these guys have only six legs. Their other two legs have been modified into very long feelers — to help them feel their way around tree bark, under logs, and in the dark caves of Eastern Africa. These nocturnal arachnids eat super tiny insects, using their pincher-like pedipalps to push their bugs into their crushing jaws.

Even though they are harmless to humans, these creatures have been much maligned in modern media. For instance, in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, they are described as "lethal" by Mad-eye Moody, who tortures the animal with a curse until Hermione begs him to stop. And, in the TV show  Fear Factor, contestants were forced to eat these creatures, proving that humans are much more dangerous to the cave spider than they are to us.

A fellow wildlife educator was kind enough to share a surplus bunch of these big ol’ guys with us, so be sure to invite one of these stunning fellows to your next event. Let’s see if fear is a factor for you! And, we promise we won’t make you eat it.

Introducing Zoo Camp! Zooniversity will be offering a week-long morning camp for children in grades 1-3 at All Saints’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth. Your student will love this introduction to zoology and hands-on time with our animal ambassadors. Zoo Camp will be offered the week of August 2-6 — register now before the class is filled! See page 18 of All Saints’ summer catalog for details.

Or, enroll your animal-loving student, ages 5-12 years, in one of Science Adventure’s "Go Wild!" camps. They have many dates and locations offered throughout the DFW Metroplex this summer. We’ve been invited to bring live animals to ten of their locations, as a special treat for their campers. See the Science Adventure website for the location nearest you. (Be sure to ask if Zooniversity is scheduled for that specific camp before you enroll, as we were not able to fit all their locations into our crazy summer schedule — we’d hate to disappoint your student!)

And, like every summer, Zooniversity will again be doing free wildlife shows at more than 50 public libraries throughout North Texas. See our Public Calendar for the nearest location. This summer we will be featuring a new program, "Animal Locomotion," as a compliment to this year’s "Reading Express" summer reading club theme. (Hey, it’s the best we could come up with to tie animals to a train theme!) The program is designed for reading age children, ages 5 years and up. Check each library’s website for restrictions and reservations. Mark your calendars to join us — and be sure to come up and say a special hello to Miss Allison!

This 8-pound, football-shaped, herbivore was sent to us by another wildlife educator who just didn’t have the time to work with him. He is usually found in the savannahs and jungles of central African and is considered by scientists to be the nearest living relative to the elephant (yep, elephant — they share similarities in teeth, leg and foot bones, testes, and other obscure details). They are amazing climbers, using the sweat on their soft, rubbery, footpads to suction themselves to the rocks. They normally live in large colonies of females with only one male (so this guy may be a bit lonely). They spend their days basking in the sun, nibbling on plants. They are extremely cautious — they’ll take a bite of grass, freeze, look carefully around for predators, and if all clear, will relax and chow down. They do not have front teeth — they have 4 front tusks that have squared-off ends and they won’t hesitate to use their powerful bite as protection (okay, I already learned this the hard way, ouch.) They are extremely tidy critters, using a common "potty spot," even in the wild. Their communal outhouse is infamous — it hardens over centuries and becomes fossilized into what is called "African Stone" or "Hyraceum," which is used in perfumery as a substitute for other musky notes like deer or civet — "Hmmm, what IS that mysterious scent you’re wearing?" 

This special guy is still adjusting to people and has been in veterinary care for the last three months to fix some existing health issues. He is gaining trust with each day and will now let us hand-feed and gently pet him. He has a demanding personality and will run you over for his favorite slice of banana. He grunts, squeaks, and hisses, depending on what he’s trying to tell you. He should be ready to meet our fans starting this summer, but first he needs a name befitting this assertive rock climber.

So, get those creative juices flowing and send us some name suggestions. Simply leave a comment here on the blog or post on our Facebook page. If you suggest the perfect name, we’ll brag about you in our next post — and, if you’re brave, we’ll let you hold his banana!

At Zooniversity, we get at least one e-mail each week from a college student who idyllically aspires to be a wildlife educator. They spent years admiring those larger-than-life TV guys working with animals and have hopeful visions of becoming the next wildlife conservation idol. Besides asking for a job, they almost always ask, "What do I need to do to become a wildlife educator?"

The answer is not a simple one. The necessary skill sets are an odd mix of cognitive scientific knowledge, acute audience management skills, and that mysterious "Q factor" that it takes to make an audience like you. Here’s the cold, hard fact that most of these college kids don’t want to hear…ANYONE can display these animals (as long as they religiously follow the federal, state, county and city wildlife laws), but not ANYONE can be good at this.

The delivery of animal information is actually the easy part. Learning the textbook facts about each species, learning their adaptive and wild behaviors, reciting the Latin Genus species names…all that is the really easy part of the job. The tough part cannot be taught, cannot be memorized. Three additional skills need to be mastered: (1) the ability to control the behavior of a collection of program animals, with unique personalities, under incredibly stressful conditions, with little to no risk of a problem, (2) the ability to politely, yet diplomatically manage an audience’s behavior (including the ever-challenging, young audiences) with little to no risk of a problem, and (3) the intangible, indescribable skill of getting an audience to "like you."

So, what is our sage advise for those eager college students? What do we suggest they do to prep them for their dream job?

"What do I need to do to become a wildlife educator?"

Work With Real Animals: Get as much hands-on experience with animals as possible. Volunteer at the shelter, the veterinary clinic, the horse ranch, the zoo, the exotic sanctuary, the local wildlife rehabilitator, your local chapter of the Audubon Society, Master Naturalists, or herpetological society. Take a no-pay internship at a sanctuary or respected wildlife company. Do anything to get some real hands-on skills. Rake the cages, scoop the poop, haul the garbage, design enrichment, build trust, learn their signals, bond, train, love, share the moment. Each animal you work with, each scratch, each bite, each lick or cuddle, will teach you with lessons that can only be learned from the real teachers — the animals.

Work With Real People (Especially Kids): A critical skill is NOT taught in school — how to manage a crowd’s behavior to limit the risk of a problem. Whew, this is tough. Crowds of kids are especially tough. Crowds of kids with their parents are even tougher. It’s a VERY fine line between diplomatically directing a crowd for their safety and enjoyment — and ordering them around like the Gestapo. The only way to learn how to tight-rope walk that fine line is through experience. Work as a camp counselor or a day care teacher. Work customer relations at a theme park, fair or festival, or zoo. You’ll quickly learn what works and what offends. We still learn every day how fine his line can become if you get overly demanding. The sting of each lesson learned lasts a long time — learn how to walk the line before you try wildlife education.

Stand Up There Naked: Okay, it’s a just a metaphor, but you need to experience the vulnerability of being a presenter and you need to feel both the admiration or the distain of a human audience…again, and again, and again. Find every opportunity to do public speaking. The subject matter doesn’t matter. Join the debate team, the Toastmasters or Salesmanship Club, speak on behalf of your club, fraternal organization or political party. Sing a solo in the choir, get cast as a lead in your theater, preach at your church or temple. Do whatever it takes to stand in front of an audience, and another audience, and another audience. You’ll have to conquer the stage fright, exude total confidence, work the crowd, and develop a tough skin. You need to learn to sense the energy of the audience — both positive and negative — and find those intangible ways to turn it around. Then, there is the toughest part of the job — that indefinable "Q Factor." Audiences quickly decide if they "like you." This is magical, indefinable, nearly impossible to teach, and totally unpredictable. It varies with the time of day, waning of the moon, your attitude and mood – and it only takes a nano-second or an ill chosen word to turn audience admiration into distain. Only years of stand-up experience will teach you how to do your best. If they don’t "like you," anything you try to teach about the animals will fall on deaf ears.

Now, don’t assume that this blog entry is intended to dissuade our young, eager wanna-be wildlife educators from entering the field. On the contrary, we welcome the next generation with their fresh energy to continue our lifetime of effort. We just want them to be fully prepared for what it REALLY takes to be a wildlife educator — a GOOD wildlife educator.

MISTLETOE, especially mistletoe berries, can cause gastrointestinal upset and heart arrhythmia.

HOLLY leaves and berries can cause gastrointestinal irritation, vomiting and diarrhea.

EVERGREEN BOUGHS such as fir, balsam and pine, although not toxic, also cause minor irritation.

POINTSETTIA, despite its deadly reputation, will at worst cause irritation of the mouth, excess salivation and perhaps vomiting, but still should be avoided.

RED MAPLE LEAVES kill horses!  As little as one pound of dried maple leaves blowing into your horse’s pasture can be toxic. When ingested, these leaves result in a severe hemolytic anemia – it causes red blood cells to rupture, causing weakness, pale gums, an elevated heart rate and shock.

LILY FLOWERS such as the Asiatic, Tiger, Day and Stargazer lily (often found in holiday arrangements) can cause kidney failure in cats after eating just one petal or leaf.

HIBISCUS can cause vomiting and bloody diarrhea.

TINSEL can cause gastrointestinal blockages that can be life-threatening.

BUBBLE LIGHTS contain methylene chloride, a moderately toxic solvent.

LIQUID POTPOURRI is toxic to cats — even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing and tremors.

TREE PRESERVATIVES, although not toxic, is sugar-based and can nourish grow bacteria that may sicken a thirsty cat or dog.

FIRE SALTS highlight the beauty of the fireplace colors on a cold winter’s evening, but can cause gastrointestinal irritation with vomiting and even convulsions.

IMPORTED SNOWGLOBES contain deadly antifreeze and its sugar-sweet taste is particularly tempting. As little as one tablespoon of ethylene glycol antifreeze can kill a cat and a couple of ounces can kill a dog.

CHOCOLATE contains high levels of caffeine and theobromine, which can cause heart arrhythmia and death.

GRAPES, RAISINS & CURRENTS (and foods with them like fruit cake) can cause kidney failure in dogs.

SUGARLESS GUMS AND CANDIES that contain xylitol, a sweetener, is toxic to dogs — it causes a life-threatening drop in blood sugar and liver failure.     

BONES are dangerous! Hide those leftovers as bones will shatter and splinter and cause pain, intestinal puctures, and death.

HIGH-FAT LEFTOVERS, like gravy and turkey skin, can give your dog acute pancreatitis.

ALCOHOL in tiny amounts won’t cause a problem for pets, but three ounces of liquor in a 10-15 pound animal can depress its nervous system and stop its breathing.

BATTERIES if chewed will give acid burns in the mouth and physical damage from shards of metal.

ROCK SALT can cause irritation of animals’ paws or in their mouths and stomachs if they eat it — pet first aid for rock salt ingestion is simple: feed them a small meal with water or milk.

What do you do if think your pet has eaten something toxic? Contact the Pet Poison Helpline ($35 fee) or your local emergency veterinary clinic for immediate guidance.