Wildlife festival an opportunity for education
Attendees could meet porcupines, snakes, a potty belly pig, lizards, geckos, tortoises, wallabies and mingle with a sloth among other things during the Cobb’s Exotic Rescue and Adventure Park’s Wild Life Festival at the Agri-Food Hub and Trade Centre last weekend.
“With the festival, we’re all about educating the public,” said Andrew Sutherland, Wildlife Festival floor coordinator.
“So is it going to be a good pet, is it going to be a night time pet, a day time pet, what kind is going to suit your needs? A lot of the pet stores out there don’t give you enough information about them and we’re just here to educate everybody and make sure that if they do want one of these as a pet, they know what they’re getting themselves into.”
Wildlife Festival volunteers are taught how to be calm around the animals.
“We bring in our volunteers and we have them interacting with the animals,” said Sutherland.
“We teach our volunteers. Our staff, we’re all highly trained and working with them and just showing the public how to interact with the animals and how you can maneuver around with the animals or what the animals themselves like and that just is a huge benefit.”
Staff and volunteers are asked about their comfortability and knowledge of the animals prior to the festival.
“If you don’t have much of one, we’re going to take our time, we’re going to educate you and it’ll be a whole weekend of education,” said Sutherland.
“You’ll be working alongside someone if we have the spare person, if not we’ll find the animal that’s best suited to you and that you’re comfortable with, and we’ll just let you hang out with them and get comfortable with them and learn facts about them.”
Sutherland wanted attendees to experience the joy that these animals can provide to people.
“It takes your mind off of what’s going on in your life and it can be a form of therapy for people as well,” said Sutherland.
The younger generation coming through the doors potentially could play a factor for the future of the festival.
“They’re the ones that are going to be stepping into our footsteps when we can’t do this anymore, and if we can inspire someone to keep doing it, that’s perfect,” said Sutherland.
A popular animal has been the porcupines.
Cole Runge brought his family out to get his kids interested in animals while they’re young.
“Like just to care about them and know more about them, so we can conserve them and protect them,” said Cole Runge.
The tour goes all year with the exception of November and December and it tries to hit two to three cities a month.