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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.
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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]
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