Friday, July 11, 2008

Iguanas

This summer our library has been holding the most splendid children's programs. Last week a gentleman from First Inc, The foundation for iguana rescue, safety and training brought his iguana, Binty, to the library and gave the children a very good lecture about iguanas.

It was such a treat to listen to a teacher who didn't dumb down the subject matter or talk down to the children. He dealt with fairly complex issues, yet made it engaging and understandable.



The highlight for the children was being able to look at the iguana very closely and to touch him. (that's Ben's finger in the pic above).

All the children got a huge kick out of watching a video of one of the gent's iguanas becoming upset with an image of himself in the mirror.



Read more about iguanas here.

I was pleased to hear him talk about the problem with exotic pets and why you should never accept an iguana as a gift. I didn't know that iguanas need sunlight in order to thrive, that they become ill under regular indoor lighting.

I think that Ben and Shira are starting to develop my passion for ridding our Virginian flora and fauna of exotic species.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Reptiles are cool. I don't like snakes much...too many years fearing rattlers here in AZ...but lizards are great.

We have a bearded lizard and learning proper care for them has made me a bit of a beardie nazi. They also need UV exposure to be healthy. They are very fragile before they reach about 6 inches long and it's really frustrating seeing the major pet store chains selling the little babies and giving out wrong advice on what they need in their habitats.

They are *really* cool because they are very friendly...they like to take baths, be held, watch tv on your shoulder, be fed by hand and listen when you talk to them.