An environmental educator brought in the rescued animals to teach the students about respecting and caring for them.
By: Donna Lukiw
Roosevelt Elementary School students got a lesson about some of the world’s more unusual mammals at a Dec. 12 assembly that included visits by a chinchilla, wallaby, fox and a skunk.
Environmental educator Travis Gale, from "Snakes n’ Scales" and "Wallaby Tales," two educational outreach programs, brought in the rescued animals to teach the students about respecting and caring for animals, and the different African, Australian and North American mammals.
"We’re an animal rescue and rehab group," Mr. Gale said. "We wanted to teach kids to love and care for animals."
Mr. Gale told the students that he wants them to teach the animals that people can be kind. Most of the animals he brought had been abused by their previous owners, such as the chinchilla whose former owner used to let him out of his cage and then throw things at him, he said.
"I learned that if you have an animal don’t throw stuff at it because it’ll bite you," fourth-grader Cindy Marshalek said.
Just because an animal is peculiar looking, it doesn’t deserve to be mistreated, Mr. Gale said.
"No matter what an animal looks like they’re all special," Mr. Gale told the students.
When Mr. Gale showed the students a small fox from Africa, similar to a North American fox, named Frankie, the students gasped when they noticed he had only three legs.
Mr. Gale explained that the fox’s previous owner had fed him dog food and hot dogs, but not the fruits and vegetables it also needed to stay healthy. After suffering malnutrition and brittle bones, Frankie had to have a leg amputated.
Fourth-grader David Maj was surprised to meet the coati a social and active South American animal with a long tail and a long nose that’s part of the raccoon family.
When Mr. Gale took the coati out of the cage, the students laughed and giggled at the animal’s energy especially when it went through Mr. Gale’s pants pockets looking for food.
"My favorite part was probably when the animal went inside his (Mr. Gale’s) mouth," David said. "She could smell what he had before and she could smell the food."
The animals used during the assembly were rescued from a variety of situations some were unwanted or abused pets, confiscated by authorities or picked up in neighborhoods, along roads, from abandoned apartments or humane organizations.

