Behind-the-Scenes: Farm Style!

Our monthly appearances on “FOX NEWS This Morning” has proven to be quite a hit! So much that we have branched out to feature not only reptiles but other animals as well. This past Friday we did a feature on farm animals! Here is your behind-the-scenes look at what really happened and how we pulled it all together!

***Here I’m pictured with Austin from Double XL Ranch. They provided the baby piglets for the segment. The babies were only 6 days old! They had to be kept extremely warm inside the studio for their safety.

This is a picture of a 6 month-old goat named “Baby.” She was SO fat, that right before shooting began, the producers thought that she was pregnant and wondered when she was due! Poor girl…

This horse ALMOST didn’t make it into the studio! “Butters” was so scared of the blue, that he was barely coaxed in minutes before tapping! Want to know what got him in? Specially made horse treats!

My favorite animal was “Kumar” the duck! Believe it or not I had to babysit him overnight before the show. He rode “shotgun” all the way to the studio! ***Here he is pictured on the desk prior to filming. He was so noisy during takes!

A special thanks goes out to the Theil Dairy, Double XL Ranch, Gayle Heida, Chase, and Jessica. It wouldn’t have been possible without all of you!  

Man of the Forest

One of my ALL-TIME favorite animals is the orangutan. These “red apes” are one of our closest living relatives. After recently observing a mother and baby I found out that they even act like us too! For instance: Did you know that mosquitoes bother orangutans just like they do humans and they will use branches like fly swatters to swish them away?

Just like a young child, this orangutan was enjoying himself by playing with this bottle cap (don’t worry; it was given to him as enrichment by his keepers). *** Did you know that baby orangutans cry when they’re hungry, whimper when they’re hurt and smile at their mothers?

In captivity, for security and comfort, orangutans will even cover themselves up with a blanket!*** Did you know that in the wild when it rains or the sun is hot an orangutan will hold a leafy branch or two over its head to protect itself from getting wet or overheated?

 

Orangutans are primarily arboreal and spend the majority of their lives up in the trees.  *** Did you know that an orangutan arms can have a reach of more than 8 feet!? At this time orangutans can still be found swinging around the trees in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.

For more information about orangutans please visit www.stlzoo.org

Life at low tide

During a recent trip up to Whistler in beautiful British Columbia, I had the opportunity to stop along the way and check out some local marine life during a low tide. Low tides provide a glimpse into interesting marine life communities that are seldom seen.

I’m a HUGE starfish fan! I was so excited to see literally hundreds of them attached to rocks. Did you know that starfish have microscopic eyes at the end of each arm? This enables the starfish to view movement and differentiate between light and dark.

Some marine life you just can’t see during a low tide. We talked to some scuba divers in the area and they said that just 20 feet below in a rocky cave was a Giant Pacific Octopus! I couldn’t get a picture for obvious reasons so here is captive octopus at the Vancouver Aquarium.

These little crabs could be found everywhere! It was so funny to see the males with these huge claws fighting one another over the females. Gotta love it!

It shocked me to find that even the smallest marine creatures could withstand being out of water during a low tide; like this little eel! We found him under a rock along with several crabs.

Here is a great picture taken during our walk back up to the car. It captures British Columbia’s gorgeous waters and holds the mystery of what lies beneath the waves.

Pacific White Sided Dolphins

I’m talking about the Pacific White Sided Dolphin. During a recent visit to the Vancouver Aquarium I had the opportunity to see first-hand how amazing these marine mammals truly are.

This isn’t the first I’ve worked with these dolphins. I actually had the opportunity to train Sea World San Antonio’s six White Sided Dolphins during my internship there back in 2006. Look how young I look!!!

These dolphins are more acrobatic than any other species of dolphin exhibited in marine parks. They can jump 30 feet in the air!!! Some trainers even believe that they are easier to work with than Bottlenose Dolphins (which can be surprisingly very aggressive).

The aquarium houses three Pacific White Sided Dolphins named Helen, Hana, and Spinnaker; ALL of which have been rescued. My favorite dolphin was Helen. She’s a 21 year old female who was rescued from a fishing net entanglement. Unfortunately her pectoral flippers had to be partially amputated.  

This is one of my favorite pictures taken of a dolphin’s blowhole. This allows the animals to breathe once they reach the surface. Powerful muscles shut the blowhole while the dolphin is submerged underwater to prevent drowning.

The Vancouver Aquarium offers overhead and underwater viewing of its gorgeous dolphins. They even have educational shows where the trainers show off some of the dolphin’s behaviors. If you want to visit Helen, Hana, and Spinnaker in person please visit http://www.vanaqua.org/

***A special thanks goes out to Rosemary Pritchard who joined me on my aquarium adventure and took these amazing photos. Thanks Rosemary!!!  

Kayaking around Galiano Island

Just recently before heading back to school I had a chance to kayak around beautiful Galiano Island in British Columbia, Canada. This was my first time EVER kayaking and boy was I in for it: I got soaked! It was all worth it though because on our kayaking adventure we spotted all sort of amazing wildlife!

At first you might have thought this was a rock…we sure did! It turned out to be our first glimpse of a Harbor Seal. These marine mammals frequent Galiano Island where they are often found basking on rocks or on the shore away from predators.

This unique rock is what Galiano Island is famous for. The only way to see it up-close is by kayak. It really reminds me of an alien!

I was so excited to spot my first wild jelly fish! These unique creatures can be found all around the island. Some unfortunately even wash up to shore. Swimmers must beware: they blend in so well with the aquatic vegetation!

This had to been the highlight of my trip: seeing a mama Harbor Seal feeding her pup. What astonished me was how close you could get to these animals. It seemed like they had no fear of humans. I could have sat and watched them for hours!

Galiano Island had to have been one of my favorite destinations. With its beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife it is a place that I look forward to visiting again in the future.

For more information on how YOU can kayak around Galiano Island please visit http://www.seakayak.ca/