PAW
PRINTS - October 2003
The
Voice of Fellow Earthlings' Wildlife Center, Inc.
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All the little tricksters at Fellow Earthlings’ Wildlife
Center wish you a Happy Halloween. As Indian summer makes
its final curtain call and fall begins its gentle descent
upon the desert, we start gearing up for winter to insure
our little charges will be warm and snug all season long.
Plexiglas panels go up to serve as wind and rain shields,
heat lamps are dusted off and re-hung, and den box heat
pads are plugged in and tested for heat dispersal and safety.
While we humans scurry around buttoning up the facility,
the meerkats spend their days lolling in the last hot rays
of the early fall sunshine and renovating their burrows
to create new underground tunnels for the winter.
Summer was a lovely blur of clear skies, sunny days, and
weekends filled with visits from our growing family of adoptive
parents. We welcome all who adopted
during the last quarter and those who continue to support
us through donations and purchases
of our T-shirts and books.
We have a lot to share with you, so let’s start with
a brief update from the last three months:
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Getting The Word Out
Public Relations
- The production crew from Riverside County visited the Center
to film a television program that featured the meerkats and
our director, Pam Bennett-Wallberg. We were pleased by the public’s
enthusiastic response to the show.
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| Senior
Media Productions Specialist, Meta Berkebile and Media
Communications Coordinator, Peter Coonradt prepare to
film the meerkats.
© Hayden Harrison |
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- Pam was the featured guest speaker at the Southern California
Edison Company as part the corporation’s commitment to
supporting non-profit organizations in their community.
- Denise Robertson, our volunteer Development Director, presided
over the Fellow Earthlings’ booth at the Southern California
Edison Company’s annual non-profit Expo held at their
headquarters in Rosemead.
- We initiated our Re-Adopt Program by sending out letters
on an annual basis to all our adoptive parents inviting them
to continue the legacy they began with their original Adoption.
Our hope is to develop a committed number of yearly re-adoptions
that will provide us with a consistent donation base to cover
basic operating costs. Many thanks to all who re-adopted. We
notice who you are and appreciate you enormously.
- Scholastic Publishers, Inc. interviewed Pam for their SPARK
Reading Program. SPARK is a technology program designed for
use in classrooms for grades 3 – 5.
Fur, Feathers, Paws, and Claws
Center News
- Jasmine’s back! We received a call from The Guide Dogs
of the Desert reporting that Jasmine received a head injury
during her training and was dropped from the program. We tried
to hide our excitement when we learned we could have her back.
She returned in August and immediately resumed her “duty”
of pestering Jake, our Anatolian Shepherd.
- A rare Great Egret dropped in for a visit recently. The magnificent
bird swooped into the pond one morning (amidst much chatter
from the meerkats) and calmly began fishing for the tiny mosquito
fish. The beautiful egret graced us with his presence for two
weeks before moving on his migratory journey.
- Bara, Jengo and Nalo recently got a little den box renovation.
Their den box sat under a quaint shake roof. The trio loved
to sit on top of their den box for an elevated view of the world,
but they could barely see out from under the roof. So, we presented
the problem to Phil, our Director of Operations. Of course,
he ingeniously came up with a solution. He literally raised
the roof! Phil elevated the support beams 12 inches so the critters
have an unobstructed view. Now, Bara spends hours “guarding”
her rowdy boys from the new perch.
Cheetah Project Update
Cheetahs are only a little less rare than unicorns. Thus, they
are worth our every effort. We must be patient when changing circumstances
cause us disappointment.
Timing is everything. Every few years the World Conservation
Monitoring Center (WCMC) reviews its various protocols and policies.
Unfortunately, the WCMC is now reviewing the Non-Member AZA participation
in the SSP. (AZA = American Zoo and Aquarium. SSP = Species Survival
Plan) Thus, during the review of this policy, a moratorium was
placed on all NEW SSP membership requests. This moratorium not
only affects us, but other zoological facilities, as well. All
our paperwork has been completed and submitted to the SSP and
WCMC, all the letters of recommendation have been written and
submitted, all our permits and licenses have been amended to include
cheetahs, and our cheetah enclosure has been inspected and approved
by all agencies.
Sadly, because of the moratorium, Discovery Channel withdrew
its funding of our cheetah documentary. We hope they will re-instate
the funds when the moratorium is lifted. (The Center does not
receive any funds from Discovery.)
Alas, we must patiently await the resolution of this RED TAPE
issue. In the meantime, we stand ready for the cheetah. All that’s
left to do is plug in the cheetah’s new freezer.
We send heart-felt thanks to all of you who helped make the cheetah
enclosure a reality. We know you are as disappointed and frustrated
as we are.
Meerkat Trivia
Our adorable meerkats are not only “cheeky” and mischievous,
but they are also a highly intelligent species. One of our challenges
at the Center is to keep the meerkats stimulated and enriched
physically and mentally. You already read about our “music
therapy” program in the last newsletter, so we thought you
might like to know about other methods we use to keep life “fun.”
Many of our adoptive parents come to visit bearing gifts for
the critters. As you know, pet stores don’t carry “designer”
meerkat toys, so our visitors often bring cat, dog and hamster
toys that we slightly “reconfigure” to make them meerkat
worthy.
One of the meerkats’ favorite toys is a circular “cat
track” with a ball that rolls around the perimeter. This
toy also includes a cardboard scratch pad in the center. Another
favorite is a clear, plastic hamster exercise ball that allows
hamsters to “roll” around the house. However, the
meerkats’ favorite “toys” are cardboard boxes
that have egg carton inserts inside of them. These are the type
of boxes our live crickets are delivered in. Jiminy, isn’t
that just like a meerkat? Buy them expensive presents and all
they want is the box!
So here’s how the enrichment program “free-for all”
works:
First, we take the hamster balls and drill larger holes in them
(just big enough for juicy crickets and worms to wiggle through.)
Then, we gather all the balls, the cat tracks and the cricket
boxes. We spread them out on the porch and fill each item with
crickets, meal worms, wax worms, and super worms. We drop them
inside the translucent hamster balls, hide them in the corrugated
scratch pads of the cat tracks, and layer them throughout the
egg carton inserts in the cricket boxes.
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| Denise Robertson prepares THE FEAST
© Hayden Harrison |
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The meerkats know they are about to get a treat when they hear
the rustle of the cricket box and egg carton inserts. We hear
them “chirring” and exhibiting classic meerkat impatience
that translates to “Hurry Up Already!”
The whole procession of “toys” is then carried to
the enclosures (usually by Denise Robertson, our volunteer Development
Director.) Denise teeters down the path with cricket boxes piled
7 high. Suri is barking, Remi is poised and ready, Kendi and Rafiki
are straining on tiptoes to observe the progress, and Bara, Jengo,
and Nalo are running around in anticipation.
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| Here she comes!!!
© Hayden Harrison |
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“Let The Games Begin!”
Pandemonium reigns! Hamster balls are expertly spun
by little paws to dispense the succulent worms, egg carton inserts
fly through the air as the meerkats tunnel through the boxes,
and cat track scratch pads are deftly shredded to get to the treasures
that lie within. The air is filled with the sweet sound of play,
excitement, and “yum yum” vocalizations.
Then, just like Christmas, it’s over. Silence. The enclosures
look like a tornado touched down. But, if you look closely, you
might see a meerkat or two in the rubble. Now, all the meerkats
are content. Some are even picking cricket legs from between their
teeth with their long, black claws. Life is good!
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The party's over
© Hayden Harrison
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In closing this issue of Paw Prints, we want to express our abiding
appreciation to all who have opened their hearts to the meerkats
and supported our mission. Not a day goes by that we don’t
hear from one of you - a kind note, a “bug money”
donation, or a Re-Adoption. In these changing and challenging
times we are humbled by the power of your commitment, your love
for the meerkats, and all the creatures that share our planet.
On behalf of all the animals in our care, we wish you peace, joy,
and laughter.
"My
religion is simple. My religion is kindness."
Dalai Lama
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