Talking to the Animals at Homewood Library

Baby, a Double Yellow-Headed Amazon parrot with a large vocabulary, was just the first of a cavalcade of animal stars who wowed the capacity crowd at the last Wednesday afternoon.

A tortoise, two alligators and a Canadian Lynx are just some of the critters that followed.

Baby and her compatriots helped the group’s president, Kimberly Schilling, teach important lessons about habitat, animal behavior and why some animals just don’t make good pets.

Zeus, the six-foot long Burmese python, was used as an example.

“They are great escape artists," Schilling said. "They are extremely strong—I can’t emphasize enough how dangerous they are.”

Zeus, however, kept his manners throughout the afternoon. He got to make a trip around the room, despite several horrified children retreating to the opposite end of the room.

Schilling told the 150-plus crowd of kids and adults that she is allowed to keep Zeus and other exotic animals like Kodiak, an 11-year-old lynx and Kahlua, a skunk, because she has a permit to do so. According to Schilling, it is not legal to do so otherwise.

Even owning a parrot like Baby isn’t for everyone because, Schilling said, because Baby’s lifespan may be as long as 80 years.

“I’ve got to take care of her my entire life,” Schilling quipped. “I’ve got to put up with her until I die.”

Baby responded to her caretaker's joke through a series of chirps and chortles. 

All animals came courtesy of Animals for Awareness, a not-for-profit shelter that takes in exotic and wild animals that more conventional shelters aren’t equipped to handle. 

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