Teagan Miller and Lynne Rank from the Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina arrived at the Great Bend Public Library on Wednesday for one of the final special events of the 2023 Summer Reading Program.
“What’s in my Backyard?” focused on animals native to Kansas but the education presenters also brought three live animals, all from other countries.
“Kansas is an amazing place to live,” Rank told the children, showing a small porcupine quill. She’s only encountered one live porcupine in the wild, but we do have them.
Miller showed the children a couple of box turtle shells, noting they are becoming an endangered species, partly due to turtle races. People find turtles in fields but don’t know how to take care of them. Then, the turtles can be injured when they are raced on hot pavement or dropped onto hard surfaces. Finally, many people don’t return their turtles to where they found them. Turtles are highly imprinted on their territory and they don’t adapt well when they are relocated.
“They are our state reptile and their numbers are dropping,” Rank said. “We need to be a little selfish with them.”
The animal educators also talked about the benefits that opossums provide: They eat ticks and venomous snakes. They don’t carry rabies.
In case anyone was wondering, the educators said opossums can’t hang from tree branches by their tails and porcupines can’t throw their quills. “Don’t rely on cartoons for information,” Miller said.
However, the prehensile tail of the opossum is like an extra hand, so it may help it climb. And a porcupine defending itself may back into an attacking animal, hoping to embed some of its barbed quills into a nose or paws.
Live animals
The live animals presented Wednesday were a bearded dragon, a species native to Australia; an Asian scorpion, that glows under a black light; and a tenrec, a small mammal resembling a hedgehog, endemic to Madagascar.
Miller said bearded dragons have become popular as exotic pets but said they do require special care. “We ask you to do your research before you get a pet.”
“All Together Now”
The summer reading program, with the theme “All Together Now,” started in June and officially ends Saturday with a Harry Potter House Party. That event was by registration only and registration is closed.
Earlier this week, the library had a Story Time hosted by Smoky Hills Public Broadcasting System. The VolunTeens, a group of children 6-12 years old who have been volunteering at the library this summer, took time Tuesday to make some fabric dog and cat toys to donate to the Golden Belt Humane Society.
Saturday is also the last day for children and adults who have been participating in reading challenges to turn in their minutes.
