Rainforest Randy and the Silly Safari animals delight children and adults at the Lincoln Public Library

 

[June 22, 2023] 

On Thursday, June 22, returning favorite Silly Safaris came from Indianapolis to provide their popular program on Carnegie Lawn at the Lincoln Public Library.

Silly Safari’s Rainforest Randy of Silly Safari introduced children to several animals and educated them about these animals.

Before the program began, Rainforest Randy asked children to tell him their favorite animals. Answers included cats, orangutans, zebras, bears and eagles.

When Rainforest Randy got ready to bring out the first animal, he said it would be the scariest one because of its big, giant teeth and claws. The animal turned out to be a bunny rabbit named Bandit.

Bandit is a Rex Rabbit, a type of show rabbit. Rainforest Randy said the reason he thinks they are called Rex Rabbits is because they stand on their hind legs like a big scary T-Rex. Bandit got his name because he steals people’s hearts.

Because Bandit is a fast racer, Rainforest Randy chose Shelby, a tortoise dressed in a little chicken costume, to race Bandit. He said Shelby is a Russian Tortoise who digs underground to make his burrow, which is like what a rabbit does.

In the race between Bandit and Shelby, Rainforest Randy said Shelby won by a “hare.” Actually, it was the stretch of his neck.

Next up was Godzilla, an Australian Blue Tongued Skink. Rainforest Randy said Godzilla is the largest blue tongue skink he has ever seen. Godzilla’s blue tongue gives him a superpower by protecting him when he sticks it out. Predators like hawks see the long tongue and think the skink is poisonous. Skinks want other animals to think they are poisonous even though they are not poisonous.

Skinks do not have super speed or big claws or teeth. Rainforest Randy said they do have tails they can wiggle around to distract predators. The skinks must really be sure their life is in danger if they pop their tail off because it does not grow back.

When Rainforest Randy asked the kids to guess Godzilla’s age, answers ranged from 16 to 25 to 42. Godzilla is only six years old. Rainforest Randy said Godzilla was donated by a family who power fed him, so he got too big for the family to keep him.

A tarantula named Stevie was then brought out in a container. Rainforest Randy said Stevie means no harm and is very nice. Her fangs cannot poke through people’s skin. Her bite is like a bee sting and her venom is not poisonous. However, Rainforest Randy said a tarantula’s “hairs” often make people and animals itchy and sneezy. The “hairs” function as a defense mechanism.

BB8, a three banded armadillo next came out to say hello. Rainforest Randy said Bandit has been bottle raised, which is something few people do with armadillos. Bandit is not afraid of people so he is fine being handled and will rarely “ball up” like other armadillos. Rainforest Randy put BB8 on the ground and let him walk around a bit.

Armadillos like Bandit use giant claws to dig for bugs. Rainforest Randy said BB8 must eat squishy stuff because he has no teeth. His wiry hair helps him feel his way around to look for bugs. BB8 also enjoys belly tickles.

Two different birds were part of the program and Rainforest Randy brought them out one by one.

The first was Pete the Parlor, or Rolling, Pigeon. Rainforest Randy said in the 1800s, these pigeons stayed in parlors and provided entertainment by rolling around.

Asking for help from the audience, Rainforest Randy chose two boys to hold Pete like a hamburger then put him on the ground to let him roll. He reminded the children not to try grabbing pigeons in a park and rolling them though.

The other bird was Roderick the African Pied Crow. Rainforest Randy said Roderick is named after a character in Edgar Allen Poe’s Fall of the House of Usher.

Roderick’s talons are attached to a string held by Rainforest Randy. He has trained Roderick to fly to a box and land on it.

Crows are as smart as a five-year-old and have sharp beaks. Roderick uses her sharp beak to tear peanuts and eat them.

Somethin Rainforest Randy said crows do is mate for life staying with one crow friend for the rest of their lives. Crows will hunt with the crow friend and teach each other right from wrong. They will even hold funerals for each other when one mate dies.

Roderick can mimic voices. One thing Roderick says is “what?” because she hears Rainforest Randy say it while riding shotgun on travels to shows. Roderick also mimics the squawk of parrots and says caw caw.

After the birds were secured in their cages, Rainforest Randy brought out a cute slimy frog named Jello who loves to climb trees. He chose two girls to be “trees” holding their arms out like branches for Jello to climb. The girls squirmed as Jello’s slimy skin touched their arms. They shied away when Rainforest Randy asked if they wanted to kiss Jello and see if he turned into a prince.

As a way of blending in with their surroundings, these frogs turn green when cool and brown when warm. When Rainforest Randy tried to put Jello back in the container, Jello did not want to go back in. He said because Jello is a Midwestern frog, it takes him a while to say goodbye.

The final animal Rainforest Randy brought out was William Snakespeare, a Burmese Python from the jungles of Vietnam. These pythons can also be found in Florida, where they have become an invasive species. Rainforest Randy said a nineteen-year-old in Florida won a snake catching competition this past September. The teenage boy caught 172 snakes in a month and won $33,000.

William Snakespeare weighs ten pounds and is seven feet long, so Rainforest Randy chose five brave children. These children each held a part of the snake so the audience could see how long it was.

At the end of the program, Rainforest Randy invited the audience to come see the animals and pet them if they wanted to. He said they could only use two fingers and pet each animal twice. The lengthy line included both children and adults wanting to see the animals up close.

Youth Services Librarian Donna Cunningham reminded children to keep turning in their reading logs even while the annex is temporarily closed due to roof repairs.

The library has many books about animals and Rainforest Randy told the children to ask the librarians for recommendations. Some of Rainforest Randy’s favorite books include Don’t Let Pigeon Drive the Bus, Crow Not Crow and Rainbow Crow.

Next Thursday’s program will be Jason Kollum Juggling.

[Angela Reiners]