KENILWORTH, NJ — Eyes of the Wild, an exotic animal rescue, recently had a presentation at Kenilworth Public Library. The program offered the opportunity to learn about and view up close exotic animals. More than 40 children — and their parents — were in attendance.
Presenter Samantha Guzzi said the majority of animals at Eyes of the Wild were from people who once had them as pets. “We give them a home when nobody wants them,” she said. “We have 175 animals. Some people didn’t feed them. Some people were mean. Tonight, we will teach these animals that people can be nice.” Guzzi instructed the audience to keep their hands in their lap and to stay quiet, which would assure the safety of the animals.
Guzzi joked that inside one of the bags was a full-grown elephant and then proceeded to take out a beautiful chinchilla. She told a story about the bravery of chinchillas. In order to protect themselves in the wild, chinchillas are known to urinate in the face of foxes. This particular chinchilla was abused by an owner who threw things at him. It was one of the animals that the audience was allowed to pet — a very soft creature.
Next up was an alligator. “It’s illegal to keep alligators,” said Guzzi. This particular animal was given to them in a pizza box. The person who gave up his pet was afraid he’d get in trouble. But Guzzi said it’s important that Eyes of the Wild knows the situation, in order to best care for the animal. “Alligators have the strongest bite in the world,” she said. An American alligator has a bite of 2,125 pounds per square inch, with only its cousin, the crocodile, exceeding it with 3,700 PSI for a saltwater crocodile and a Nile crocodile’s bite estimated between 4,000 and 5,000 PSI.
A skunk’s scent glands were removed because he was a pet. Guzzi explained that scent glands make a “stinky liquid.” It’s a form of protection in the wild, so this skunk would not be released. She further taught that a skunk in the wild will give another animal, such as a fox, several warnings before spraying, including stamping its front feet and growling. “Spray can go far,” she said.
This particular skunk, kept as a pet, was digging up floors.
The cutest animal of the evening was the baby wallaby named Mary Poppins. Her parents were supposed to go to a zoo, but one was sick, so they were both rejected. Guzzi said that, at birth, wallabies are the size of someone’s thumb. They eat grass and hay in the wild. At Eyes of the Wild, they do get hay, but also pellets with vitamins and nutrients.
The wallaby couldn’t be petted because Guzzi said she was nervous; however, a ferret was passed around for audience members to pet.
“People don’t realize how messy they are,” she said, explaining that’s why ferrets are often surrendered to Eyes of the Wild. However, they are good at catching rats and mice. The bones in their head can help them fit into small spaces.
Finally, Guzzi took out an albino Burmese python, who at 20 pounds was not full grown. They eat rats, mice and small birds. “People get snakes and don’t realize they live 25 to 30 years old,” Guzzi said.
Randy Doran, of Weehawken, said he loved the program. “Very educational. Interactive,” he said, adding that he favored the wallaby.
His daughter, Emma, 7, said she liked touching the skunk.
Maria Fonte, of Kenilworth, said she loved the part about the fox. “I learned something,” she said.
Francesca Fonte, of Kenilworth, said, “I loved the snake. It was the very first time I touched one.”
To learn more about Eyes of the Wild, visit: https://www.eyeswild.com/.
To learn more about The Kenilworth Public Library, visit: https://kenilworthlibrary.org/.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta