My February started off on a high note when Little Ray’s Creature Centre came to Saskatoon with their creatures, great and small. Usually, these travelling animal shows are focused on reptiles and amphibians which are very cool but for me personally, not interesting enough to want to head out in the freezing cold to go see. But the show advertised this time seemed too good to miss!
So, let’s get the creepy crawlies out of the way first. Yes, they had plenty of snakes, lizards, tortoises, and frogs. I tried snapping a picture of everyone who wasn’t hiding from their adoring public. Some were cute and others, not so much but you have to admit, they’re all very interesting.
And also like any other travelling animal show, they had a number of adorable critters who would be at home in anyones abode like bunnies, guinea pigs, and ferrets.
They had two examples of what is fast becoming my favourite type of bird: the owl. Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – they are absolutely gorgeous animals. Sure there’s some goofiness in them like when they twist their heads in disturbing ways but one look into those eyes and any normal human being would melt. There are some pretty cool things to be said about their biology too. The one particular fact that I learned about them not too long ago is that while they tend to be slower flyers, what makes them so incredibly lethal is that they are almost completely quiet. No prey is going to hear a stealth bomber coming for them!
Little Ray’s had two owls. A beautiful barn owl awaited us at the end of our tour. But during the show, the Eurasian owl came out of her enclosure. One of the biggest of the owl family, Khaleesi showed off her incredible wingspan to the amazement of the kids sitting on the floor in front of the stage. I was so happy when she was brought out into the crowds so I could get a closer look at this amazing bird of prey.
One of the stars of the show who I desperately wanted to see was an adorable little soccer ball
And finally, we come to the true star of the show. The whole reason for me freezing my backside in near -30C weather to see finally made her appearance and I was in love! Chloe the sloth, firmly attached to her handler, showed her gorgeous face and the crowd was excited. Clearly, I’m not the only sloth lover in Saskatoon! A two-toed sloth, Chloe looked unimpressed with being woken up and shown off but that little trooper made everyone happy with her appearance.
Travelling animal shows like this seem slightly cruel. Stuck in small enclosures and unable to sleep from the racket, it must be tough to be one of these animals. But the people running the show, both the members of Little Ray’s and the volunteers from Saskatoon who were involved in rescue and rehabilitation, really seemed to have a genuine interest in their charges and well as a wealth of knowledge of all the animals there which made me believe that the animals best interests were likely being taken care of. It’s important to note, and they made no mistake about telling the crowd, that the only reason these animals were in their care in the first place was because of people. Selfish, brainless people who insist on having pets that they can’t take care of. In fact, many of these animals shouldn’t have even been pets in the first place. Whether Chloe and her friends are having their life or not, I hope they’re at least able to teach the next generation a little something about responsibility and of course, a love of the wild creatures that live all around us!