GILROY
– Things are getting a little wild at Bonfante Gardens.
The horticulture-based theme park is adding a new educational
program this summer that will blend the beauty of the local plant
life with the wild animals that call the Santa Clara Valley their
home.
GILROY – Things are getting a little wild at Bonfante Gardens.
The horticulture-based theme park is adding a new educational program this summer that will blend the beauty of the local plant life with the wild animals that call the Santa Clara Valley their home.
The Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center is holding interactive shows during the week that will introduce guests at the park to animals like Toby the opossum and Oscar the owl.
The animals used by W.E.R.C. as educational tools call the Morgan Hill center their home. Each of the animals was brought the rehabilitation center, but was not able t be released because they either could not hunt for themselves, had poor vision or, like in Toby’s case, became too accustomed to caretakers.
“He’s missing some toes and he has a certain affinity for people,” said Tami Koval, who is the host of the show at Bonfante. “Humans are a natural predator, so he cannot be released.”
The shows run at 1:15 and 2:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the park, and will go through Aug. 20.
“From day to day, the show changes,” Koval said. “We have a hawk, opossums, snakes, owls.”
W.E.R.C. teaming up with Bonfante was a natural fit, Koval said.
“The wildlife blends in with the botanical aspect of the park,” she said. “People come to Bonfante to see what’s in their own backyard, and now they can see the animals that are in their own back yard.
“It’s a perfect fit.”
Koval is a middle school science teacher, and she joined W.E.R.C. specifically to be a part of the program.
“It’s the best summer job you can have,” she said.
She is joined by her assistant, Anna Venneman, who brings the different animals on stage for the audience to see.
The 19-year-old has been working with the animals at the rehabilitation center since early spring, and spends her time between shows studying.
“I want to be a zoologist,” she said.
Although only being there a short time, Venneman spends most of her time at the rehabilitation center and is fine with handling them on a daily basis.
“Anna’s up there every day,” Koval said. “She works very hard.”
Up to 100 people have attend each showing, and W.E.R.C. officials hope to keep bringing more park visitors to the stage each day. For them, each person who takes home a new understanding of the animals who call the valley home means another person who will think twice before infringing on it’s habitat or killing animals.
“Education and preservation go hand in hand,” said James Mohs, president of the board of directors for W.E.R.C. “The show focuses on education about the native wildlife. You learn to respect it.”
W.E.R.C.’s shows run at 1:30 and 2:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the park through Aug. 20. For more information about the shows or the wildlife program call 779-9372.
