Silly Safari Live Animal Show closes out a season of wonder and delightful performances at Lincoln Public Library’s Summer Reading Program

 

[August 24, 2022]   On Thursday, July 21, children and adults at the Lincoln Public Library were entertained by Ryan the Lion and the Silly Safari Live Animal Show. This show has been presented several times and is always a hit.

Before the program began, Children’s Services Librarian Miss Lydia reminded kids to turn in their book logs by Monday. She said it was the last big program for the summer. Explorers and STEAM programs return the last weekend of September.

A large crowd was there for Thursday’s show. Ryan the Lion asked the children to listen when he spoke and raise hands when he asked for helpers. He told the children they would learn what makes animals special. Ryan also taught them sign language for each animal.

The first animal was Moose, the Great Dane. He is huge, has big feet and antlers (ears).



Moose was here last year and had grown quite a bit since then. When he hugged Ryan, Moose’s touched Ryan’s shoulders.

The sign language for ‘dog’ is made by patting your leg.

Though Ryan could not bring a lion, he said he brought something with sharp teeth and sharp claws, plus a mane. This animal was Brian, a lionhead rabbit, and his fur keeps him warm.

Brian does not say “dude” or “bruh.” Instead, he twitches his nose and gives bunny kisses.

Bobby the rabbit was there too. He was darker and softer than Brian.

To do the sign for bunny, Ryan had kids put two fingers by their ears; index and middle fingers in a “v” position in front of their eyes, then pull both hands toward the outside and close their fingers.

The next animal friend was not soft or furry. Reaching in a large bag, Ryan pulled out an animal with scales, a tail and legs. It was a bearded dragon named Blackbeard.
 

The kids who touched him said Blackbeard felt rough. Bearded dragons live in Australia with predators. To scare predators, Blackbeard puffs out his beard. His spikes may also scare the predators away. If Blackbeard needs to run away, he can run fast by going from walking on four legs to walking on two legs.

Putting hands on the chin and waving fingers is the sign for a bearded dragon.



Next up was Diablo, a South American, crab eating raccoon, who can be devilish and unpredictable. Ryan asked everyone to keep the noise down so Diablo would come out of his cage. After Ryan gave Diablo a treat for doing so well, he let a helper feed him.

Placing the index and middle fingers in a horizontal “v” position in front of the eyes then pulling both hands toward the outside and closing your fingers is the sign for raccoon.

An owl named Hootenanny Annie was also returning for a second time. Last year, she was just an owlet. Hootenanny Annie’s wings take her to the top of trees to look for something to swoop down, grab and eat.

Once owls catch the food, they take it up in the tree to eat in peace. Hootenanny Annie waved her wings to say goodbye.

Two fingers in front of the eyes is the sign for owl.

Todd the toad was the next animal friend Ryan showed the children. Todd has taught Ryan a lesson by peeing on him, so now Ryan puts a diaper on Todd.
 

Two helpers got to pet Todd. Todd went through metamorphosis to change from a tadpole, so Ryan asked young Harper to kiss Todd to try and change him into a prince. Harper declined and instead shook Todd’s hand. The other child held him.

The sign for a toad is fingers under the chin.

Jorge is a small but mighty tarantula, who is venomous. One helper got to high five Jorge.

Four fingers on each hand on top of each other is the sign for spider.



Coming all the way from Africa was Kit the Fennec fox. Fennec foxes are the smallest of the fox family. Kit’s big ears keep him cool. The light fur keeps him cool during the day and warm at night. Two helpers got to pet Kit.

Making a circle with your index and middle finger forms the letter F. Putting the circle in front of your nose and twisting it back and forth represents the sign for fox.



The final friend Ryan brought was Star the snake. Star is 12 foot long, 60-pound Burmese python and is a true star of the show. To hold him, several helpers were chosen from the audience.

The sign for snake is fingers by your teeth.



When the show was finished, Ryan had the children line up in rows to pet the animals. Some were not sure about petting the snake.

This summer’s programs have shown children how to read off the beaten path as they learned about juggling, spoon playing amphibians, space, and animals.

[Angela Reiners]