Wildlife Education Program Presented at Booth Library

About 80 people, mostly children, who attended a program last Saturday at Booth Library had an opportunity to see, touch, and learn about wildlife from a zoo educator.

Jim Knox, assisted by his brother Bruce Knox, presented to the audience a colorful and educational program about wild animals.

 While they may have seen photos or films of boa constrictors, those present had an opportunity to see an example of the exotic snake up close and gauge the serpent’s considerable girth.

A docile bright green parrot also was displayed on a perch.

The children in attendance, along with their parents, watched closely as Mr Knox carried the animals through the library’s meeting room, allowing audience members to view the animals at close range.

Mr Knox is a Newtown resident, television host, and wildlife educator. He is the host of the new PBS wildlife series Jim Knox’s Wild Zoofari, a children’s educational program focused on wildlife conservation that was filmed at some of the world’s major zoos and aquariums.

Mr Knox is both a zookeeper and a zoo educator at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, with more than 15 years of zoo and field experience. He is a wildlife consultant for The Children’s Television Workshop. As a Beardsley Zoo representative, Mr Knox has taken his animal show on the road to numerous tri-state area schools during the past ten years.

As a zoo educator, Mr Knox mainly works with small to midsized animals that are displayed at community programs.