The staff and volunteers of Stark Parks’ Sanders Wildlife Rehabilitation Center care for nearly 2,000 orphaned and injured wildlife patients each year. Many of these patients are wildlife babies, and Stark Parks’ annual Wildlife Baby Shower on Sun., May 5 will celebrate their arrival. This year’s event will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park. No reservations are required.
The highlight of the event is always the up-close-and-personal experiences guests have with the park district’s animal ambassadors: a red tailed hawk, great horned owl, a screech owl, a mallard duck, Big Brown bats, a woodchuck, a pine snake, a bull frog and American toad, box turtles, and an opossum. Animal guests from Happy Trails Farm will also be on hand May 5, as will representatives from the Canton Audubon Society, the Bluebird Society, and Dr. Gary Riggs of the Barberton Veterinary Clinic who cares for Sanders Center patients and various large exotic animal species.
Beekeepers and Stark Parks’ volunteers Rick and Diane Blessing of East Canton will show guests how honey is extracted from beehives. Blessing has been a beekeeper for 15 years, after having become interested in bees during boyhood trips to the Ohio State Fair.
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Cupcakes and punch will be served, and a raffle will provide 5 lucky winners with a future personal visit with an animal ambassador of their choice.
Shower gifts are appreciated, and a Wish List of gift cards, perishable and non-perishable items, pet supplies, and medical items can be found at http://www.StarkParks.com/wildlife.asp. Some of the more unusual items needed include deer antlers, bungee cords, poultry fountain water bowls, heavy duty tarps, and an upright freezer.
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Other needs include plastic aquariums, pet taxis, ferret cages, paper towels, tissues, zip lock bags, non-automatic shut off heating pads, laundry detergent, receiving blankets, shelled walnuts, clay cat litter, Total or plain Cheerios, Purina puppy and cat chow, Dawn dish soap, dried fruit bites, sunflower seeds, and finch/dove seed.
Donations can be dropped off May 5 by going to the drive-through at the Exploration Gateway, 5712 12th St NW. Tax deductible financial donations are also gratefully accepted for the Wildlife Baby Shower; checks should be made out to the Friends of Stark Parks and brought to the event or mailed to 5300 Tyner St. NW, Canton 44708.
FeLeap's Lily Pad Gift Shop on the main floor in the Exploration Gateway will be open during the event, featuring Friends of Stark Parks’ apparel and other unique gifts for Mother’s Day.