Date: Fri 27-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

schools-wild-animals-Johnson

Full Text:

with cuts: A Talk On The Wild Side

B Y D OROTHY E VANS

Imagine you are a fourth grader at Head O' Meadow School and it is the third

week of school and you're already thinking it's been a long time since summer

vacation.

Just when you've decided Thursday, September 19 is going to be just like every

other day, your class is told to put down the math books, line up and go to

the auditorium for a special assembly.

Renowned wildlife lecturer and teacher Rusty Johnson will be speaking about

birds of prey, snakes and other rare and endangered species. And he has

brought along several wild animals as live exhibits.

Yesssss!

As you take your seat in the auditorium, you immediately notice four boxes

with carrying handles - and a lumpy bag - lined up on the stage.

You can't see inside those crates, but you know something alive is in there

because there are breathing holes.

The bag is quite large and looks heavy. It has bumps in it. Some of the bumps

appear to be moving slightly, or is that just your imagination?

No sign of Mr Johnson yet, but the anticipation is mounting.

This is going to be fun.

The Show Begins

When Head O' Meadow PTA cultural enrichment co-chair Kim Webber stepped out to

introduce Mr Johnson, she didn't have to wait long to get the children's

attention.

"Mr Johnson has brought along five special guests that need quiet," Mrs Webber

said as Rusty Johnson, 24, walked out to enthusiastic applause.

An experienced lecturer, who has taken his "A Touch Of Wild" program to

countless school groups over a period of nine years, Mr Johnson knows it is

the animals who are the stars of his show. He also realizes they might be a

bit scary, so he puts the children at ease with a friendly smile and several

jokes.

There might be a more serious message he will deliver as the show gets

underway - about the incredible ways these creatures have adapted to survive

and about their value in the complex chain of life - but that can wait.

"I try to show them that there is more to life than malls and video games," Mr

Johnson explains in a hand-out press release.

"The world is wide open to children, and we as educators should encourage them

to explore and seek alternative interests.

"Today, more than ever, we have to impress upon children that they, along with

every living thing, are an important link in the chain of life. When one link

is broken the entire chain is affected," he writes.

But today's show was about to begin. Mr Johnson didn't say all those things

right away. He let the creatures speak for themselves.

Creature Take Center Stage

Mr Johnson donned his huge leather glove and removed a rather angry and

slightly ruffled Harris' hawk from the first box.

The hawk perched quietly on Mr Johnson's wrist and scanned the audience.

"His name is Splinter and he's recovering from a broken leg. I got him in

Canada," Mr Johnson explained.

Splinter gave a resounding screech as Mr Johnson told the children about how

hawks can see 10 times better than human beings.

"They hunt during the day, for mice, rabbits and snakes, but they don't see

well at night," Mr Johnson said.

The next exhibit, a Great European Eagle Owl, was just the opposite from hawks

in that respect, he added.

"Owls hunt at night and sleep during the day. I raised this one from an egg,

so he thinks he's a person - or that you're all owls," Mr Johnson said.

"His head doesn't really turn in a complete circle, it just looks that way,"

Mr Johnson added, as the owl swiveled his head obligingly, seeming to look in

every possible direction.

"Sometimes your teachers can do this, too, so be careful," Mr Johnson joked.

Then he and the owl walked around the room so the children in the audience

could feel the rush of air and hear the whoosh of the owl's flapping wings.

A peregrine falcon drew whistles of approval for its streamlined shape and

noble expression. The fact that this was the fastest animal alive, with the

potential of flying more than 200 miles per hour during a single dive, didn't

hurt the falcon's image either.

The smallest crate produced the most whimsical creature of all Á an African

pygmy hedge hog. About the size of a large softball, the hedge hog curled up

trustingly in Mr Johnson's cupped hand. Only a snout and two eyes were

visible. The animal didn't reveal is four legs and tail until it was poked

gently in the tummy.

"Watch what he does when I nudge him like this," Mr Johnson said.

The hedge hog stretched and yawned and the children roared with delight.

The final exhibit was a "baby" 10-foot long Giant Burmese python.

Five children were asked to come forward and "act like trees" with their arms

extended so the python, released from its cloth bag, could rest comfortably.

"You'll notice he's shiny, but not slimy," Mr Johnson said, pointing to the

smooth scales.

There was one tense moment when the python decided to explore the pants pocket

of the first "volunteer," Alex Snow, whose job it was to hold the head. Alex

showed remarkable poise and waited patiently while Mr Johnson extricated the

head from his pocket. Nick Huppenthal, standing next in line, watched in mute

fascination.

"Walt Disney won't ever make a movie about a snake. They're just not cute

enough," said Mr Johnson.

Like all animals, however, snakes have their role in the natural scheme of

things, he added, as he stuffed the animal head first back and then coil by

coil, back into its carrying bag.

"We must respect the right of wild animals like these to exist and work to

protect their habitats," he said.

The children seemed to silently agree with him.

The show was over and thanks to Mr Johnson, they felt they'd gotten to know

those animals just a little bit.

The birds and the hedge hog were back in their crates and the snake was safely

stowed away. It was time to go back to math class. The excitement was over but

not the mystery of those wild creatures. They'd remember that for a long while

to come.