Natural History

Posted on by LordBofKM

PETTING ZOO

It is a petting zoo like no other! It’s a zoo of pelts! 

We have gathered a collection from friends, donations & other sources of real animal fur scraps. Many of the pelt pieces are a part of the animal hide, not full pelts. We did not kill any of the animals & we did not tan the hides ourselves.  

We have visitors hold, touch, & feel the pelts. By feeling the density of the fur, how thick the pelt is, & looking at the colors of the fur helps to identify what animal it came from. This is a learned skill with using scientific identification principles. Actually it is CSI for the animal world. By assisting visitors learn the different steps for identification, we are training new animal detectives. To assist with identification, we have a board with pictures attached of most of the animals in the collection for visitors to look through as well as giving clues for the identification. 

For most visitors they have never seen any of these animals in person, let alone the opportunity to experience what they actually feel like. This is a rare chance to get up close & personal with a variety of species from around the world.

We hope that by touching & feeling these real animal furs, visitors will feel more connected with them. Creating this connection will help visitors appreciate the animals we share this world with & hopefully help to protect them.

We are always looking to add additional species to the collection, donations are always welcome.

Our collection currently includes 52 different species to touch & feel plus critters in acrylic to view:

 

ALPACA, AFRICAN LION,  AMERICAN ALLIGATOR,  ANGORA GOAT, AUSTRALIAN POSSUM, BADGER,  BAT,  BEAVER,  BEEF CATTLE,  BISON,  BLACK BEAR,  BOBCAT,  BROWN BEAR, CANADIAN LYNX,  CENTIPEDE, CHINCHILLA, COYOTE, ELK, ERMINE, FERRET,  GOAT,  GREY FOX, GREY SQUIRREL, GREATER KUDU, LAMB,  MINK,  MOOSE,  MOUNTAIN LION,   MUSKRAT,  NUTRIA, OPOSSUM,  PINE MARTEN, PRAIRIE DOG,  PRAYING MANTIS,  RAT, RABBIT,  RACCOON,  RECLUSE SPIDER, RED-EARED SLIDER,  RED FOX,  RED KANGAROO, RING-TAILED CAT,  RIVER OTTER,  SCORPION,  SKUNK, SPRINGBOK,  TANUKI, WHITE-TAILED DEER,  WILDEBEEST, WOLF,  WOODCHUCK, YAK, ZEBRA

Plus different horns & antlers to compare:

  • BEEF CATTLE
  • GREATER KUDU
  • PRONGHORN SHEATH
  • WATER BUFFALO
  • WHITE-TAILED DEER