BROOKINGS – Teachers come in all shapes and sizes. Some even have spikes or a long, pink tail.
That’s the case for Henry the hedgehog and Louise the rat, who have moved from their homes at the Brookings Regional Humane Society to become some of the newest teachers at the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History in Sioux Falls.
In addition to their 1,000 animals that people can visit onsite at the zoo, the Great Plains Zoo offers a mobile education program through its ZooMobiles. Another 40 animal ambassadors work full time to teach the public about a variety of animals and their diet, unique features and more. The Great Plains Zoo has owls, tarantulas, tortoises, a rabbit and more among their ambassadors. These animal teachers have their own special building at the zoo where they rest and receive special individualized care.
As Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History CEO and president Elizabeth Whealy tells it, each of their animals has a story to tell and help kids get comfortable with and gain a greater appreciation for wildlife.
And soon Henry the hedgehog and Louise the rat are going to have their part in this special program.
At the moment, both are being quarantined, a standard procedure to ensure the health of the rest of the animals there. They should be able to start their education work around mid-March. Until then, they are still being handled by and familiarized with their caregivers.
“We want our animals to feel very comfortable with their handlers. It’s relationship building, just like with any other relationship you’d have,” Whealy said.
Henry and Louise first came to the zoo’s attention when one of their vets spotted them on the BRHS adoption page.
Henry the hedgehog came to the Brookings Regional Humane Society as a pet. His former owners weren’t allowed to have pets where they lived, but he was well socialized and friendly around BRHS staff.
“We would hold him and he’d un-ball and he’d start to poke around and walk around on our hands,” BRHS Executive Director Maia Moore said.
A timid hedgehog will ball up or hiss, she said.
“For kids, interesting, quirky and cute go a long way, and I think hedgehogs have all of those things in spades,” Whealy said.
In his new role in the zoo’s education program, Henry will help teach the public about animal defenses, thanks to his spikes, and about food webs, which are a sort of interconnection of food chains, as he is an insectivore.
Moore was excited to have the zoo express interest in one of their animals.
“You know for sure that that animal is going to receive the best diet, the best care. It’s an ideal outcome for us because they know what they’re doing,” Moore said. “The care he’s going to receive there is very skilled. Super excited for him.”
When the zoo visited the shelter to pick up Henry, they also noticed that BRHS had a social rat on hand, too.
That brown rat, named Louise, had arrived at BRHS because her owners thought they had gotten two females, and they accidently had been given a male and female. So, they had to be separated.
According to Whealy, Louise will help them teach about invasive species and about what makes for a good pet, since rats have become a popular pet.
Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.
