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At
the Lincoln Public Library Thursday, July 17, Hummingbird Hailey of
Silly Safaris brought several cool animals to show the children.
Silly Safaris is an animal conservation animal show. Someone from
Silly Safaris often does the last show of the summer and it has been
very popular.
Hummingbird Hailey said she brought eight animal friends with her.
Some had fur, others had scales, and one was even covered in
feathers. As she showed the animals, she shared details about them
such as their names, how old they were, where they came from and
what their personality was like.
The first friend was a mammal that
Hummingbird Hailey said has secret fur on his belly and back. This
animal, named Melon, was a four banded armadillo from the Southern
United States who was five years old and fully grown. Melon’s body
was curled up because he is nocturnal. Hummingbird Hailey said he
was having sweet armadillo dreams. Two kids held Melon on their laps
as he continued to snooze.
When four banded armadillos are awake, Hummingbird Hailey said they
are super-duper social. Their favorite activity is repeatedly
running and playing on hamster wheels. They curl up not only to
sleep, but also to defend themselves. When their bodies are curled
up and they flip themselves over, they look like rocks. Armadillos
eat fresh fruit like watermelon and grapes. Hummingbird Hailey said
Melon’s favorite snack is hard boiled eggs with the shell left on
for extra crunch.
Next up was Susan, a three year old
wiry haired venomous tarantula from Central and South America who
eats crickets. Hummingbird Hailey asked for a couple of brave
volunteers. The two volunteers bravely held the container Susan was
in.
Susan is three and Hummingbird
Hailey said tarantula may live up to ten or fifteen years. They have
eight legs like other spiders, but near their mouths, they have
mandibles that look like two short legs. When tarantulas are
stressed their hairs fall out and can stick into people’s skin,
which causes itchiness and can even cause an allergic reaction in
some people. Through detecting vibration up to a half mile away, a
tarantula finds food. Their sticky feet allow them to walk up walls
and along ceilings then crawl down.
A scaly animal friend was wrapped
up in a pillowcase because Hummingbird Hailey said he likes to be
loved and hugged. This animal was Mushu, a bearded dragon from
Australia who loves to sit in the sun because he is cold blooded.
Two volunteers held Mushu in their laps. Unlike Mushu the dragon
from Mulan, Mushu the bearded dragon does not breathe fire.
Mushu’s skin is rough, tough, scaly and spiky. His ears, which
Hummingbird Hailey likes to call his hearing tunnels, are soft and
so are his eyes. Hummingbird Hailey said when bearded dragons are in
danger, their neck turns black, which makes it look like they have a
beard. Bearded dragons are the number one reptile people have as
pets because they can be chill and calm. However, they like to have
their own space and not share a tank.
Hummingbird Hailey next brought out
an animal covered in feathers who can be shy. This animal friend was
a fourteen year old spectator owl named Albert, originally from
Costa Rica. She said Albert is a bit of a grumpy old man. Albert
cannot fly because his feathers grew improperly, but he can spread
out his feathers. Many kids screamed when he spread out his
feathers.
Albert likes to eat mice and like all owls can turn his head all the
way around. Hummingbird Hailey said it seems as if moms, dads,
grandmas, grandpas and teachers can also turn their heads all the
way around. Albert made a little sound when she prompted him. With
proper care, Hummingbird Hailey said these owls can live up to
eighteen or even twenty years.
Before bringing out the next animal
friend, Hummingbird Hailey chose volunteers to play a wizard and a
princess. She told a tale of a prince who lived in a kingdom far
away. He never shared kind words with his friends or any of his
toys. One day, the prince ran into an evil witch told him his
outside was as ugly as his inside and turned him into a frog. He
tried to find someone to break the spell, but everyone said he
deserved to be a big old frog.
One day, the frog found the most powerful wizard and most beautiful
princess, so he hopped over to see if the wizard would change him
back to a prince. Since frogs need a princess to kiss them and
change them back to princess, the kids yelled out, “kiss him, kiss
him. However, the princess at the library refused.
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The frog Hummingbird Hailey
brought out was name Bubba and he was five years old. He is
still growing and one day will be as big as a dinner plate. In
the wild, frogs eat bugs, mice and small rodents with the help
of a super strong jaw. Bubba puffed up to seem all big and bad,
but Hummingbird Hailey said he is not really big and bad.
Hummingbird Hailey said the next
animal friend had fur and teeth that will never stop growing. She
brought out Snowy, a four year old albino lion maned rabbit with
stylish fur. Snowy has one eye that is grey and cloudy because he is
blind in that eye.
Snowy’s sharp claws had recently
been trimmed. His long, sharp teeth help him eat vegetables. Snowy
is super cute and soft, so Hummingbird Hailey chose two children to
hold him and pet him.
Hummingbird Hailey said her next
friend goes with Snowy. The animal she brought out was Cherry, a
turtle from Central America, who loves to eat cherry tomatoes.
Cherry goes with Snowy because of the story of the tortoise and the
hare. When she asked kids if they knew that story, someone said the
tortoise and the hare were going to have a race. When the race
started the tortoise moved slowly and the rabbit was fast. When the
rabbit decided to rest, the tortoise got ahead of him and won the
race.
Video - Silly Safaris
recreates the tortoise and hare race w/Snowy and Cherry at the
Lincoln Public Library
Hummingbird Hailey chose two kids
to judge a race between Cherry and Snowy and see whether the
tortoise or hare would win. They had to make sure neither one
cheated. After a countdown from three, the race began with kids
cheering them on. In the race, it was Snowy the rabbit who easily
won especially since Cherry did not even move from his spot.
The final animal friend Hummingbird
Hailey brought out was William, a six year old Burmese Python from
South America. She put William around her neck, then chose seven
kids to come up and hold William with one holding his head, another
holding his tail and the rest holding his long body. The kids
holding William said he was heavy.
Hummingbird Hailey said William was a constrictor and not a biter.
William wrapped himself around her leg as she held him. William has
a special pattern on his body that is unique to him. The pattern
helps him camouflage himself in leaves and dirt as he slithers on
the ground. William likes to eat mice just like Albert the owl does.
As a cold blooded animal, William stays out in the sun to warm
himself up. Because William is out in the sun for a long time, his
skin gets dry, so he sheds his skin every three months or so. His
eyes get cloudy when he is ready to shed. William had shed his skin
just a few weeks ago.
Once Hummingbird Hailey showed the
kids all her animal friends she invited them to come and pet the
animals. She reminded the kids that as they petted the animals, they
needed to just use their fingers gently on the animals’ backs and
not pet their heads. As she said, no one likes being poked in the
face, nose or mouth.
Thursday was the final big program for the summer, so Youth Services
Director Donna Cunningham had a few reminders about the end of the
reading program.
Those who are completing summer reading logs need to turn them in by
next Monday, July 21. The ones who have turned in logs for all the
weeks will receive a shirt from the summer reading program sometime
in August.
There was a T-shirt giveaway for kids aged nine to eighteen, so
Cunningham reminded people to fill out a piece of paper for a chance
to win the drawing.
Another giveaway is for a one year family membership to the Logan
County Genealogical Society.
Drawings for two other prize baskets will be done July 22.
Crafts from the stream class, explorer class and teenage club will
be on display next week in the undersea gallery.
Thursday was the final big program for the summer.
Youth Services director Donna Cummingham reminded those who are
completing summer reading logs to turn them in by next Monday, July
21.
[Angela Reiners]
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