Wildlife show promotes more than reading

Eight-year-old Ellie Jones was not bugged when two cockroaches crawled on her back at the CVIC Hall Thursday.

Named Cosmo and Wanda the roaches were two of the creatures presented during the Douglas County Public Library’s Wildlife show.

“It was really cool, actually,” said Jones. “I thought it was going to be a tarantula or some kind of spider when he first brought them out, but no. It didn’t bother me though.”

Jones said she loves all creatures and enjoyed all the different animals at the show.

The annual show is a celebration to the end of the library’s Summer Reading Program, said Douglas County Library Youth Services Librarian Kira Fredrick.

“We’re really happy for the turn out we had this year, “said Fredrick. “I think it’s been a lot more successful at the library since things have opened up after the pandemic, a lot more people have come in and are interested in what we have going on.”

The Summer Reading Program encourages reading over the summer, and ends with a show presented by Conservation Ambassadors Inc.

Thursday’s crowd strained to hear a western screech owl’s flapping wings, watched a kabuto monkey clean a table and a 20-month kangaroo jump into her make-shift pouch.

Presenter Gabe Kerschner talked about each animal and explained where they came from.

“I love sharing them with you but is this where they belong?” he asked the audience. “It’s not. They belong in the wild and we do our best to get them back out there. We care for them and help them, but they don’t belong in a cage.”

Conservation Ambassadors Inc. is a worldwide conservation program that provides a home for displaced, abused, abandoned or permanently injured wild and exotic animals.

The ambassadors raise money by conducting shows like this one and across California. The sanctuary is located in Paso Robles, Calif. For more information visit www.conservationambassadors.org

The wildlife shows are sponsored by the Friends of the Douglas County Public Library. For more information about the library and their programs visit library.douglascountynv.gov