Understanding Wildllife brings animals and lessons to White Oak

Animals of the rainforest were not just photos in a book for White Oak Elementary students on Thursday - they were real and walking (or slithering) right before them. Understanding Wildlife founder Mike Kohlrieser brought his collection of snakes, monkeys, parrots, alligators, and more to Morris to help children gain a better understanding of the issues facing rainforests around the world today. Bringing the animals right to the kids helps them to see that they're real and fun and have personalities, Kohlrieser said after one of the two assemblies the school held. “We want them to get an emotional connection to the animals,” he said. A connection was definitely established, as the students roared with laughter at more than one trick or antic the animals put forth. The biggest ham of the day was a capuchin monkey, Rascal, which is native to Brazil. The cute primate jumped off the little stand on the stage and ran Kohlrieser around in circles, chasing him. Rascal was safely on a leash the entire time, but the students loved seeing his mischievous behavior. When Kohlrieser finally got him back up on the stand, Rascal hammed it up and snuggled a little for forgiveness. He then gave Kohlrieser a kiss on the cheek. “More species live in the rainforest that in all the rest of the world,” Kohlrieser said. He told the students it was important to protect the rainforests where they live. One way, he said, was to always recycle aluminum cans, which contain bauxite, an element that is used in the cans. Parts of the rainforest are being cut down, he said, to mine for this element, leaving many animals with no homes. Kohlrieser had many lessons to impart to the students, and not all of them were environmental lessons. He also emphasized not to pick up snakes unless an adult told them it was OK; he gave good lessons about the importance of reading; and he even told them he thought telling someone to “shut-up” was not nice. The “shut-up” lesson came about through a story of one of the parrots he brought on stage. Kelly, the blue and gold macaw, was a relatively quite bird, he said, but many parrots are not. Some families buy parrots as pets only to find they are very noisy, he said. Then they tell their pet to shut-up, and the next thing they know, the bird is saying shut-up to everyone, just repeating what has been said to him. “Personally, I do not think that's a very nice thing to say,” he told the kids. He even advised the kids not to ask their parents for a parrot for a pet. “Birds make bad house pets,” he said. “They're very messy. They throw food all over the place. . . They also demand a lot of attention, and if they don't get it, they tear their feathers out. They're also very loud and will drive you crazy.” Kelly was not a talking bird, but to the students' enjoyment, she did try to bite the microphone. Another bird, Oliver, a green parrot, did say “hello” to the students. But the students really paid attention when the snakes were brought out. First grader Alyssa Zebell volunteered to hold a king snake. The species was not native to the rainforest, Kohlrieser said, but to our own country. Alyssa seemed to enjoy holding the snake around her neck, but got giggly when it decided that the underside of her sweater was a nice, warm place to cuddle. Third grader Jeffrey Palmer got to get wrapped up by a rather larger snake. A red-tailed boa constrictor was looped over his neck and decided to wrap itself around his leg before Kohlrieser decided it was time to move on. There were two assemblies for the White Oak students, and another for the kids with their parents, friends, and family later that night. The assemblies were free, but the Thursday night event was for a fee. The money taken in goes to the not-for-profit Understanding Wildlife, with the goal of viewing animals and our world through different and more responsible eyes. The grand finale of the afternoon assemblies was Kelly the macaw flying in large circles above the students' heads, then coming to rest back on her owner's outstretched arm.