by Bea Peterson
Wildlife educator Bernadette Hoffman presented a fascinating program on Saturday morning, July 26, behind the Grafton Library. Folks of all ages listened as Hoffman described the pelts she had of two red foxes. One was the usual red while the other was almost black, with gray in it. Both were red foxes. She also showed everyone the head of an alligator, noting that the size of the head from eyes to snout gave an estimate of the length of the creature. She estimated that one to be nine feet long at one time.
[private]The lovely green Amazon parrot in a nearby cage kept on a running commentary all the while Hoffman spoke, much to the delight of the children in the group. When she placed the bird on her shoulder, she told the gathering that Amazon parrots are predominantly green and feed primarily on seeds, nuts and fruits. Her bird, called Barnyard or Bert, has a more varied diet. She said they are very good at mimicking people and can be very talkative.
Next, she put on gloves and brought out a cute African pygmy hedgehog. These little creatures, she said, weigh about one to one and a half pounds and curl up into a ball when alarmed. Their face, legs and belly are completely covered, only their unbarbed spines show. Their lifespan is about two to three years in the wild and up to ten years in captivity. They primarily eat insects. However, Hoffman advised, they don’t make particularly good pets as they are nocturnal.
Max The Lynx
Saving the best for last, Hoffman uncovered a cage on a table that contained a Canada Lynx named Max. She kept the cat on a leash and brought him out of his cage onto the table for everyone to see – from a distance. Lynx, she said, are slim, weighing about 30 pounds. Their distinctive features are the long tufts on their ears and their flared facial ruff. They have a short, bobbed tail with a completely black tip. They have unusually large paws with very large webbing between the toes that act like snowshoes in deep snow. In the wild their main diet is snowshoe hares.
At the conclusion of the program she perched Bert on her shoulder and the children gathered around to feed seeds to the parrot. It was a wonderful nature lesson.
- This youngster enjoyed feeding seeds to Wildlife Educator Bernadette Hoffman’s Amazon parrot Bert after her Animal Ambassadors program at the Grafton Library Saturday. (Bea Peterson photo)
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