Dear Wild Kids,
I’m so excited to join you this year on your adventures through nature! As a park ranger some of my jobs include:
I just returned from a trip to see all kinds of animals at the Mesker Park Zoo. I have learned a lot about wild animals. Did you know that there are animals that are really close to extinction? This means if we don’t protect these animals they will disappear altogether! Just like the dinosaurs.
Have you been to the Mesker Park Zoo? Did you hear what they are doing there with the Eastern Hellbenders? They are helping the Hellbenders out! The Hellbenders are a type of aquatic salamander and they are currently on the list of endangered animals in Indiana. There are estimated to be only a few hundred adult hellbenders living in the wild in Indiana. The only place they are found in the wild is the Blue River. Mesker Zoo is working with Purdue University and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to help the hellbenders increase their population in the wild. They are doing this by collecting eggs from the wild to raise the larvae and breeding the hellbenders in captivity. Once the hellbenders get big enough, they are released into the wild in the Blue River! Super cool! One thing I learned about these little guys is that they actually aren’t that little! They are the largest salamander in North America! They can grow up to 29 inches long. I also learned that they like their homes a certain way and they don’t adapt easily to change.
Hopefully you have all kinds of fun learning about animals, plants, and all things nature this year!
See you soon!
River