Critter Care - June 23-27

I don’t know who had more fun this week – the campers or myself and the Camp Aides! Animals are my first love, so I was very excited to spend an entire week with 12 3^rd-6^th graders who shared my passion. Over the week, I hoped to show the campers how much fun “working” with animals can be, drive home the difference between pets and wild animals and, of course, give them a great nature-based summer camp experience.

On the first day, the campers, Camp Aides Phil and Sophia, and I introduced ourselves and shared stories about our pets. Some of the campers told of their desire to work with animals “when they grow up.” We also met all of the Briar Bush animals and learned about their histories. A guest speaker from the Schuykill Wildlife Rehabilitation Center spoke with the children about the difficult but rewarding job of rehabilitating injured or abandoned wild animals. He brought four non-releasable birds of prey, including an Eastern Screech Owl and a Black Vulture, which we were able to view up close. The campers impressed me with their previous knowledge and deep interest as they asked appropriate questions and remained calm around the excited wild birds. After lunch, we visited the Perkiomenville SPCA, which houses unwanted or confiscated dogs, cats, small mammals and large animals such as horses and sheep. Many of the campers had brought donations of towels, canned food, newspapers and toys for the animals and it was obvious that the SPCA staff was grateful. Even though some of the animals’ stories were very sad, the campers remained upbeat and excited because they understood that the hard work of the SPCA staff helps pets have a second chance. Our tour guide impressed upon the children the fact that they should always do the research before getting a pet – something that we advocate at Briar Bush as well.

Tuesday was spent at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. We began with a behind-the-scenes tour of their Live Animal Center, home to over 100 animals. The campers saw volunteers feeding, cleaning and providing enrichment for the animals and asked how old they had to be to volunteer there! Again, our tour guide was impressed by the campers’ knowledge and interest. During lunch we chatted about why so many unwanted pets end up in places like the Academy and which ones were our favorites. Then, we toured the rest of the museum – the campers sifted for shark teeth at “Outside In,” crawled and walked like dinosaurs, and watched butterflies hatch and land on them in the Butterfly House.

n Wednesday, campers met a zookeeper and learned how to care for exotic species at the Elmwood Park Zoo. Our speaker asked the campers to act out animal injuries and then think like a veterinarian to diagnose ailments. She gave everyone a list of which animals make the “best” and “worst” pets – they got a kick out of the fact that many of their campers pets were listed under the “proceed with caution” heading. I allowed the campers to explore the zoo at their own pace (as long as they could see one of the three adults) and they really took their time, read the posted information and asked pointed questions about many of the animals. The favorite exhibit by far was the prairie dogs and the campers were fascinated to learn that wild ferrets feed almost exclusively on the little rodents. Our afternoon visit to the pool was refreshing and fun for everyone.

After three days of structured programs, we spent our entire visit to the Adventure Aquarium exploring on our own. If you have never been to the Adventure Aquarium, I highly recommend it – it is a darn cool place! Campers touched sharks, rays and jellyfish, talked with scuba divers through a foot of glass, and learned that hippos are graceful swimmers. The campers impressed me again with their ability to see the sights while staying together as a group. Back at Briar Bush, we got our hands and feet very dirty as we completed a pond study. Based on the insects that the campers found living in the pond, they decided that it is a healthy ecosystem with good water quality. They were as interested in the insects and snails they caught as the frogs and tadpoles.

On the last day, campers put into practice everything they had learned over the week as they took care of Briar Bush’s resident animals. We divided into groups for a little competition – which group could work together as a team to first decide what each of their animals needed in terms of daily care and then provide it for them? In the end, it was a three way tie – each group went above and beyond anything I had imagined and I told them any one of them could help with animal care any time they wanted! They truly had fun and took pride in providing excellent care for their favorite Briar Bush critters. In the afternoon, we built stick forts in the woods for animals to use as temporary shelters and talked about other ways to help local wild animals. We ended the week with a trip to the pool, lots of hugs and promises to come visit the Briar Bush animals again.

~Kristen Facente, Summer Camp Coordinator/Environmental Educator