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A rainy day in the wild: Toddler exploration at the Lindsay Wildlife Experience

Donan's interest in animals started when he suddenly decided that he wanted to see beluga whales (but we found seals, narwhals, and blue whales instead). I thought he might be interested in seeing other animals but I decided that zoos might be too crowded on weekends. So instead, Anna and I brought Donan to the Lindsay Wildlife Experience in Walnut Creek's Larkey Park.

The Lindsay Wildlife Experience hosts a wildlife hospital, where injured and orphaned wild animals can be taken care of. It also has a museum that features California's wild animals. On our visit, we met the first bald eagle I have seen in real life. Her name is Atsa ("eagle" in Navajo). She injured her right wing during a windstorm that toppled her nest off a tree; she couldn't fly anymore. The museum's website said that her enclosure was currently behind the scenes but we were able to see her because the door to her enclosure was open. She made such an impact on Donan that he decided that he wanted a bald eagle stuffed toy as a souvenir. He named it Agila ("eagle" in Tagalog).


Aside from the bald eagle, we also saw the museum's other animal ambassadors (owls, kites, kestrels, pigeons, woodpeckers). A show featured a western pond turtle. The audience members were not allowed to touch the turtle because it's body is covered in bacteria. There was an enclosure that had small mammals like rabbits, rats, and gerbils. A lot of children gravitated towards this enclosure, but Donan was more interested in the eagle and the other birds so we didn't stay there too long.

Overall, I think that the trip to the museum was a great educational experience for kids and adults alike. It's a good way to make wildlife more tangible to children, aside from zoo visits and nature shows (like BBC's Blue Planet).

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