Aspen was at the center bright and early the next morning to help the animal care staff get a head start so it would be easier on them during the Baby Shower. She helped feed baby squirrels until Kim the Director arrived. She had a large rubber tote that she gave Aspen.
“Here ya go- when you get too hot just come in the office before you take the head off. We don’t want you freaking out all the kids.” Aspen picked the lid off the tote and lifted the head of a squirrel costume into the air.
“This should be fun!” Aspen went
“Do you need some help, Scamper’s?” he asked. That was the name of the center’s mascot.
“Yes, please,” Aspen replied.
“Alright, you’re all zipped, tucked and ready to go. Now stay out of the road and don’t go falling from a tree or anything.” Dusty could not resist the opportunity for jokes. “Hey, why did the squirrel cross the road?”
Aspen replied leaving the office, “Why?”
“Because he was nuts!” Dusty laughed. Aspen just shook her head, well Scamper’s the squirrel shook her head!
For the first few hours of the Baby Shower, Scampers greeted children, waved at cars driving by, and tried to help with arts and crafts but found it difficult to color with such big paws. As the afternoon heat approached Aspen decided she needed a break so she let Kim know she was going to the office to change. “No problem, I will send Lauren to take over for you. After you get a drink come back and you can hold Lucy.”
Aspen had Morgan unzip her in the office and was sipping a drink when Lauren came in. She was one of the centers Junior Volunteers and she was a mascot at her school so this right in her wheelhouse. Aspen helped her into the costume and she was gone. Aspen finished the bag lunch she brought then headed to get Lucy. Lucy was a leucistic rat snake that came to the center stuck on a glue trap. Aspen found Kim retrieving her from the aquarium that she called home. “I’m ready,” Aspen said as she approached. Kim gently draped Lucy over her arms. The rat snake was at least five feet in length, and Aspen had to make sure she supported her safely as she wove around her body. Aspen took Lucy outside to entertain people in line waiting to tour the center. This year was unusually busy and there was a long line that stretched out the front door.
“Hi, have you met Lucy?” Aspen said to a family she found standing in line. The mom looked startled when she realized Aspen was holding a snake.
“Goodness me,” she said as she jumped back a little. The children giggled.
“Geesh mom, it’s just a snake,” the teen boy said.
“I know, I know. I just wasn’t expecting it,” the mom replied.
A little girl about seven, wearing a sundress and sandals approached and said, “She is lovely, isn’t she. Can I pet her?”
“Yes, she is and yes, you may. Right here down her back.” Aspen showed the little one where to put her hand to safely pet the snake.
“Oh, she is soft and pretty. I like pretty things,” the girl said smiling.
“Yes she is, see her belly.” Aspen held Lucy to display her belly. See how sparkly it is?” Lucy’s belly shined like a luminescent pearl, picking up hints of teal, yellow and purple every so slightly.
“Look, mommy, it’s nothing to be scared of,” the little girl said sounding very adult.
“Yes, honey,” she said very unconvincingly, “I just prefer the furry critters.” Aspen continued down the line telling people about the benefits of snakes.
“They keep the rodent population in check,” she shared with one couple that told her about a black racer they frequently saw in their vegetable garden. “King snakes will actually eat other venomous snakes,” she shared with another. Occasionally she would have to skip a group because someone was petrified of Lucy. She heard a lot of comments like- ‘The only good snake is a dead snake’ and that made her more determined than ever to convince the person snakes were not bad. “Everything in our ecosystem plays its own part to keep the balance. If we got rid of all the snakes we would be overridden with rodents. They would destroy crops and infest more dwellings, and cause more disease. It is a very delicate web, our ecosystem.
“What about the copperheads?” someone asked, “They can’t be beneficial in any way. Why not kill them all and just have more harmless
“Actually Copperhead venom is being used to stop the spread of cancer, and other venoms are used in painkillers, blood pressure medicine, and research into Alzheimer and Parkinson disease. These animals that we think are just disposable may hold the key to some of the things that plague us if we just stop long enough to consider it,” Aspen explained. More visitors pet Lucy as she continued to explain the benefits of snakes.
Aspen approached the end of the line as Kim approached. “I can take Lucy. Can you go inside an get the domestic bunny from ISO and take him out back and talk about animals in Easter baskets?” Kim said.
Handing Lucy over very carefully Aspen replied, “Absolutely.” She headed in through the side door and squeezed through the crowd to make her way to ISO, once inside she opened the bunny’s cage. She wrapped him gently in a baby blanket so he would not scratch her and headed out the back. Aspen sat on a bench amongst the flowers that survived Ms. Duck’s inspection. It was not long before some children approached.
“What’s wrong with the bunny?” they asked.
“Hi there, so this bunny is a domestic
One of the children looking sad said, “So what is going to happen to him now?”
“Well, now that he is all better we are hoping to find him a forever home and get him adopted,” Aspen explained.
“Can I pet him?” a little girl asked.
“Yep, right back here,” Aspen replied, showing the little girl
Another child announced, “We just adopted a dog from the shelter. I take her for a walk every day after school. Her name is Daisy.” The child’s parents smiled behind him.
“That’s very nice of you. What kind of dog is it?” Aspen asked while the child pet the bunny.
“I don’t know, but I love her. She sleeps with me and we play fetch,” he said smiling.
“Well, that is one lucky dog. Hopefully, we can find someone who will love bunny as much as you love Daisy,” Aspen replied.
“I hope so, bye,” he said waving as he walked away with his parents. More families came to see the bunny and she told his story again and again. The bunny sat in her lap enjoying the attention and the sunshine. After a few hours bunny started to show signs he was tired, he squirmed and wiggled and Aspen knew it was time to put him away. Once in his cage, he immediately drank from his water bottle then stretched out on his belly. Aspen snuck up to the office where she grabbed a drink and met Lauren again. She was just getting back in the mascot suit after a break.
Aspen toured the center visiting with the different education animals she did not usually get to see. The Barred Owl Luna was out with Morgan. Aspen stood back and listened to all the questions the children asked.
“Can she turn her head all the way around?” a little boy asked.
“Not quite, she can turn about 270 degrees,” Morgan replied.
“Is it true owls make no sound when they fly?” asked a teen girl in the crowd.
“Absolutely. It is a great advantage when hunting; the element of surprise,” Morgan replied.
“Do they puke?” a boy asked.
“They do swallow their food whole, so that means fur and bones and everything. They can’t digest all that so they regurgitate an owl pellet that contains all that. So yes, you could say they puke,” Morgan chuckled.
“Can I have an owl as a pet?” asked another teen girl.
Smiling Morgan replied, “No, owls are federally protected and are not the most social of animals. Luna here tolerates me. She would prefer a life with as little human contact as possible.” Aspen giggled at this reply, she had a few friends at college that were huge Harry Potter fans and talked about getting pet owls to send messages back and forth to each other between dorms. She knew it was a ridiculous idea. As if an owl would stoop to be a carrier pigeon. Aspen eventually got to Kim who had
“How is it going, Mike?” Aspen asked.
“It has been pretty busy. The kids have been asking lots of good questions. Which is cool,” he replied. “I think it’s starting to slow down, we have about an hour left, right?” he continued.
“Yep,” Aspen said checking her watch. “It’s been a pretty busy day. I think I am going to head out. Can you let Kim know for me?”
“Sure thing,” Mike replied. A new crowd walked up and he began telling them Reggie’s story as Aspen walked away. She had been a volunteer at many Baby Showers over the years and today stood out in her mind as one of the busier. It had been slightly cloudy in the morning but it cleared up and was a beautiful day. She decided to stop at home before returning to campus. She was surprised she did not run into her family at the shower.
