AIWC Educational Animals
Marigold's Story
Marigold is a six year-old striped skunk. She was brought to AIWC as an orphan after her parents had been removed from a landowner's property. Marigold was the only survivor of her litter. In the beginning, we tried to integrate and socialize her with the other 7 orphan skunks we were raising that year. Unfortunately, she was so young and small in comparison that she was left out most of the time. Don't fret though, she was never seriously harmed by the other skunks, however, she often missed out on food and when the other skunks were playing they would often bite and pull out her hair. This behaviour, combined with the resulting stress, left her with huge bald patches. For her welfare, we separated her from her cohorts. Marigold did not seem to mind being separated from the skunks in the least. Actually, she never seemed to think of herself as a skunk at all! Far from being lonely, she sought out the company of humans. When it came to exercising her outside, no leash of any sort was needed. Mari would just follow anyone around until she was tired, then head back into the centre on her own accord. It was this lack of desire for freedom that first suggested Mari was likely non-releasable, and that she might be happier as an educational animal. Luckily, she met all of the other stringent criteria for keeping a patient permanently, and the decision was unanimous. Since then, she has become a permanent resident here at AIWC. We held a competition to name her, and she was named Marigold, or Mari for short, after the stinky flower that is also of great benefit to the environment! She is now an extremely popular ambassador for our many education programs and public relation events. In the two consecutive summers of 2004 and 2005, we were forunate to observe how she would react to orphaned skunks; only to learn that she was not interested in the idea of becoming a foster mom! Mari gets a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, mealworms, nuts, yogourt and low-fat dog kibble. We also make sure she gets plenty of exercise and play time. Mari has helped educate thousands of people about the importance of wildlife protection and conservation. She is especially helpful at dispelling the many myths about misunderstood species!
Black Jack's Story
When this young speckled juvenile hawk flew across a road east of Airdrie, Alberta, it changed his life forever as well as ours. Black Jack is a fifteen year-old dark phase swainson's hawk. As alluded to earlier, when Black Jack was learning how to fly he was hit by a car. Unfortunately, this is a very common occurrence for young hawks every year during the month of August. As a result of the trauma, he lost his left eye. This disability would make it impossible for him to hunt adequately in the wild and he would not have been able to compete with other hawks for a territory. This injury left Black Jack non-releasable. However, the trauma also affected Black Jack's brain; he has no hunting instinct (although he capable of feeding himself) and he is not stressed by being in captivity or by the presence of humans. These changes in his natural hawk personality made him an ideal candidate for an educational animal. Since that day, Black Jack has amazed children and adults at schools, trade shows, and other public relations events. During these events, he is spreading the message about conservation. His beauty, dignity and patience inspires everyone he meets.
Black Jack & Marigold would love to hear from you!To send an email to Mari or Black Jack click on this yellow box!
To have Marigold & Black Jack come to your school or birthday party click on the link below!
