[January 31, 2020]      

The Atlanta Public Library was turned into a zoo Saturday morning to the delight of young readers and their parents. The library hosted the mobile unit from Decatur’s Scovill Zoo.

The zoo volunteers took a new surprise from each cage, and invited the kids to touch the fascinating animals. Well, all except a hedgehog from Africa that had a coat with very sharp spikes on it. Birds, snakes, alligators, and mammals from all over opened a new world for the young library patrons.

The zoo volunteers told a story about each animal, about the unique continent they came from and the habitat that supported them. Some were hesitant to touch the animals, but a few words of encouragement from their parents were usually enough to overcome an initial reluctance.

The Atlanta Public Library hosts weekly programs for residents of all ages that cover a range of interesting subjects. Check out the library website for a complete list.

Pictures by Curtis Fox

A ring necked African dove was first up for the zoo day at the Atlanta Public Library.

 

A box turtle checks out his surroundings.

The young audience waits for the next fascinating animal.

 

A corn snake from the southeastern US. Bumper corn harvests owe much to this denizen of the fields whose favorite meal is rodent pests that harm crops.

 

A leopard gecko.

A lesser tenrac from faraway Madagascar. It looks like a hedgehog, but it’s not. This young man found out how soft it is after some encouragement from his mom.

 

Soft bunnies are always popular, especially so with this Dutch rabbit.

A blue tongued skink really does have a blue tongue. It was just too fast to catch a photo of it.

 

A king sized cockroach, just the kind for those scary movies.

An Eastern European ferret was hard to hold, squirming around to check out the library. “He’s a very busy animal,” said Laura from the Scovill Zoo.

 

A selfie for this young alligator.