Small animals were on parade at the Avon Pavilion on June 29, as Eyes of the World presented What Big Eyes You Have!
Roughly 30 children of all ages – and parents – marveled at the animals, and even got to pet several of them at the free program sponsored by Avon-by-the-Sea Public Library.
“We do it every summer. It’s the annual event that kicks off our Avon Library summer season,” said Sheila Watson, head librarian.
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The animals – mostly small – were shown to entranced children by wildlife presenter, Kimberly Gruning, Flemington, who even brought along her pet African pygmy hedgehog, Seal.
Eyes of the Wild – owned by Travis Gale, Washington – is an indoor rescue facility, which takes in animals that may have been pets people got and decided they weren’t good to keep as pets, according to Gruning.
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The first small animal was a white rat, Chai, followed by a coatimundi, Pip, which is related to raccoons. Gruning told the audience Pip was brought home to be cared for initially by an employee, as she was too tiny to be taken care of at Eyes of the Wild.
A silky chicken, M & M, sat calmly in Gruning’s arms, then on the floor – as silky chickens don’t fly – as the children admired her. Gruning noted she not only has blue feet, but blue internal organs as well.
Flower, a North American striped skunk drew “Ewww!” from a lot of the children, but that reaction wasn’t necessary, as she had had her scent glands removed. Gruning told the children when skunks feel threatened, they don’t spray first, but growls, stomps their two front feet, then stand on their two hind feet … then spray.
Gruning’s pet hedgehog was a hit, but by far the most popular was Matilda, a three-year-old Bennett’s wallaby – similar to a kangaroo.
The children marveled at Matilda as she walked around Gruning as she sat on the floor, and then the group was able to come up and pet Matilda as she sat calmly. Needless to say, Gruning wasn’t able to lift and carry the wallaby to visit all the children in the pavilion, but did carry the other animals around, and let children pet them. Needless to say, all children left with smiles on their faces.
Avon Public Library’s next children’s program will be “Insectropolis, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m., and its annual book sale July 9 and 10, both at Avon Pavilion. For more information, call 732-502-4525 or visit www.avon-by-the-sea.com/library.
