By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
On Wednesday, April 19th, a variety of creatures sparked curiosity at the Dover Town Library (DTL). The sold-out event brought families from all over to the library community room in the midst of April vacation.
Curious Creatures, which is a live and interactive educational animal program, was the featured program on this day. Nikki, from Curious Creatures, was the host. She had all the children sit in a semi-circle around a carpeted area that she had placed down to feature the animals.
“All of the animals used to be people’s pets, that means that they are friendly!” She informed the crowd. She went on to tell the children that they are more than welcome to pet any of the animals, as long as they are gentle.
The host asked the children general questions about the animals to inform the children on how to interact with each creature so no one gets hurt and none of the animals are frightened in the process.
“I am going to take out each animal, tell you about them, then bring it around to show everyone,” Nikki went on to tell everyone that if they did not want to pet the animal, that they do not have to do so.
The variety of creatures present included: a chinchilla named Kevin, a ferret named Maggie, a rabbit named Midnight, a tortoise named Lily, a snake named Mocha, and an alligator named squirt. The host even brought out a tarantula, which both intrigued and frightened the audience members.
As the animal expert introduced each creature to the crowd, she taught the children about their habitats, bathing habits, eating habits, their interactions with other animals, and how to care for each one as a pet.
The program was an excellent means to teach the children how to interact with these animals but what it means to care for each animal individually. It provided great insight for any family that was considering one of these animals to have as a family pet.
The children were all smiles as they exited the community room. It was plain to see that the creatures not only sparked curiosity, but happiness as well.
For more information about programs like this, visit the DTL website: http://dovertownlibrary.org/
