KIDS got up close and personal with a variety of creepy crawlies at the Altona Meadows Library and Learning Centre last week, as part of a summer holiday activity program.
Park Ranger Michelle Gooding, who organised the week-long event, said the idea was to give kids a chance to see animals in the flesh. “The idea is really to increase the awareness of local residents, and particularly the children, about what animals we have here in Hobsons Bay.”
Ms Gooding said kids jumped at the chance to get close to snakes, frogs, lizards, insects and spiders. She said Steve Irwin’s death had also generated a lot of interest in one particular exhibit – a preserved sting-ray barb.
The collection on display belonged to former zookeeper Andrew Wegener, a “self-taught naturalist” who has collected the animals, live, pickled and stuffed, for over 40 years.
He takes them to schools around Victoria where he gives hands-on lessons about respect for animals and the natural environment, giving eager kids the chance to handle animals they normally wouldn’t see and would probably avoid.
While most kids love touching the cold, scaly skin of the reptiles, Mr Wegener said there were other creatures that appealed to youngsters. “Some kids love the little creatures in life, the ones that people want to squash or ignore – like stick insects and bugs.”
