SALEM- Screaming is usually prohibited in the library, but rules were suspended briefly Thursday morning when Salem Public Library provided temporary sanctuary for three endangered animals- including a screaming scarlet macaw.
The library hosted the Akron Zoo's Endangered Species Program Thursday morning, educating children about animals on the brink of extinction and the elements that have taken them there.
By exhibiting live animals, children gain exposure to exotic species they might otherwise never see, according to Debra Swank, an education specialist with the zoo.
"A lot of times, the kids aren't able to come to the zoo, so we try to go to them," she said. "If we start educating them, make them aware of these animals, at a young age, then maybe they will take an interest when they're older."
Encouraging audience participation, Swank discussed reasons why animals can become endangered, citing poaching, habitat destruction and pollution as leading causes.
People poach for many reasons, but mostly for money, Swank said, adding that endangered animals all over the world can be poached for their meat (apes), ivory (elephants), fur (mammals), leather (reptiles) and even gall bladder bile (panda bears in Asia).
And as the human population grows, space becomes limited, thus creating habitat destruction, Swank stated, citing the rainforests, African savanna and U.S. wetlands as habitats that are steadily being destroyed and their animals displaced.
Pollution affects animals a great deal, too, crippling their ability to survive, she further informed the children, offering as an example the bald eagle whose egg shells became too thin as a result of a now illegal chemical pollutant introduced to their habitat.
But extinction is not necessarily the result of the human element, Swank said, reminding the children that humans did not exist when the dinosaurs died off.
"Mother nature is very powerful and has powerful forces that completely affect our environment," she said. "We have to remember that we are not the top dog, but if we educate ourselves, we can fix the problems we create."
Joining Swank were:
Yunque, Puerto Rican Boa Constrictor; lives in trees and eat bats, birds and small reptiles; endangered because habitat destruction and poaching.
Cliff, Chinchilla from the Andes Mountains in South America; basically extinct in the wild due to poaching for their fur, which is the softest of any mammal; very popular coat fur in the early 1900s.
Quick Draw, Scarlet Macaw from the Amazon rainforest; a type of parrot, the most endangered bird in the world; threatened by loss of habitat and removal from the wild; screams to draw attention of other macaws over a mile away.
Offered for elementary students on spring break, the program is just one of many the library provides for patrons of all ages. Upcoming programs include an identity theft and consumer fraud protection workshop on May 6 and the summer reading groups. For information on all the programs the library offers call 330-332-0042.
Kevin Howell can be reached at khowell@salemnews.net
