DHS Students Come Face to Face with Sacramento Zoo Animals (Video and Article)

The students of Kristen Kellet's Companion Animal Care class at  received a treat that came with plenty of teeth, scaly skin, feathers and fur.

The Sacramento Zoo's Zoomobile Program touched down on campus Wednesday to give the students a glimpse of some of the animals at the zoo including Bing -- an alligator that was rescued from a man who kept four baby alligators in his bathtub, according to Education Specialist Chris Llewellyn. 

"What he was going to do with them, we had no idea," Llewellyn told the class as she held the baby alligator in her arms. "He was one that was confiscated from that person."

Though Kellet's class studies the care of companion animals the Zoomobile animals including Bing, Twilight the western screech owl, Samantha the blue-tongue skink, Ebony the African pygmy hedgehog and April the kinkajou gave the students a stronger sense of what goes into the care of animals.

The fun began when the Zoomobile team of Llewellyn and zoo docent Peg Gerould unveiled the first animal of the presentation -- Samantha, the blue-tongue skink.

"Having a skink as a pet, there are several things that you are going to have to think about before you get a skink or any type of reptile for pet," Llewellyn said.

She engaged the students by asking them what were some of the things to consider when owning a reptile. The conversation touched upon the diet of the animal, the living conditions and much more.

Next up to dazzle the students Ebony, the African pygmy hedgehog -- illegal to own in California. Almost as soon as Gerould brought Ebony out from her box a chorus of "Ah's" came from mostly the female students of the class.

"They are pretty cute but again, she is a nocturnal animal," Llewellyn said. "They are kind of pokey. Unless you handle them a lot like the skink, these guys are not going to be good at being the type to be handled." 

"It's adorable, it's so little," said Jaci Williams, 17, a senior at DHS.

Another wave of excitement came from the students at the mere mention of Twilight -- the Sacramento Zoo's western screech owl who shares its name with the popular film and book series.

Twilight lost sight in one of his eyes when a cat attacked him, Llewellyn said. He was brought into the Sacramento Zoo from the wild, where he was nursed back to health.

Once Bing, the alligator who was confiscated by the Department of Fish and Game, grows to be about 10 feet, he is currently about four feet, he will leave the zoo Llewellyn said. Since the zoo has no facility to house an alligator that size, except for its lake that's populated with birds, he will be either transferred to St Augustine Wild Reserve in Florida or released into the wild, Llewellyn said.

The last critter to captivate the students was April the kinkajou, who made several attempts to crawl in and out of Llewellyn's hair and shirt.

The goal of Wednesday's visit was to learn about the care and management of exotic animal species  and career opportunities in zoology. 

Llewellyn told the students that she has worked with many different types of animals - from elephants to camels, to lions - throughout her 21-year career. She told the students that the zoo has many opportunities for the students to work alongside animals or directly with them.

For students such as Williams, the Zoomobile visit hit its mark and made the class more enjoyable.

"There's a lot to love about being in this class," Williams said. "I love being around animals and I want to be a vet when I grow up. So being in the (AGI) Academy and being in Animal Care this year is helping me learn how to care for animals and do everything else especially when I have three dogs at home. So now I'm more aware of problems and having stuff to actually do about it."

In two weeks, Kellet will take her class - comprised of the 29 students of the school's Agriculture and Industrial Academy- on a field trip to the zoo, she said. Wednesday's visit was made possible by a grant obtained from the zoo, Kellet said. For more information visit this site.

Check out the video for some of the highlights of Wednesday's visit.

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