TACOMA, Wash — You'll meet a wizard, a zoo keeper and a truly magical pup named Professor Dumbledog. They're all part of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's outdoor show "Extraordinary Creatures and How to Care for Them."
"I think one of the main purposes of our show is to really connect nature with our zoo visitors," said assistant curator Maureen O'Keefe.
Some animals waddle onstage.
"Our first segment involves Tilly the aardvark and we talk about how they love to dig," O'Keefe said. "In the wild they'd be digging for bugs. At the zoo she loves to dig so we give her lots of opportunities to dig."
Newcomer Meryl Stripe can teach us all about skunks.
"One thing we like to let visitors know about skunks is to just make sure to give them their space because they can spray," O'Keefe said. "But they only spray as a last resort."
And then, making a grand entrance by soaring above the audience, there's Clark the King Vulture.
"A lot of people think they're ugly, but I think he's gorgeous with all the red and yellow colors on his head," O'Keefe said.
Napping through most of the show is Siesta, a two-toped sloth.
The whole family will be entertained and they'll learn how positive reinforcement training helps keepers care for their co-stars. Also every animal seen on stage is a willing participant.
"Our animals all definitely have choice," O'Keefe said. "If they opt out, that's perfectly fine by us."
Should you choose to see the show the hope is you'll walk away some new ideas.
"I think a successful show is having people leaving with an awe and maybe a care and want to do something to help their wild counterparts out in the wild," O'Keefe said.
The outdoor stage show returns May 4th, the same weekend the educational program "Bugs Alive!" makes its return. The shows at the zoo's Nature Play Garden introduce visitors to friendly tarantulas, scorpions and other bugs.
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