Lessons From the Wild

Hundreds of students in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo got to put down their pencils and books Tuesday to take an up-close and personal look at something a little scarier--a poisonous South American tarantula and a 6-foot boa constrictor.

The exotic visitors to Lang Ranch Elementary School in Thousand Oaks and Los Altos Intermediate School in Camarillo were from the Animal Action show at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

The tarantula, named Rosie, drew gasps and squeals as animal trainer Debbie Bathe cupped the arachnid in her hands and walked it around at eye level.

Tarantulas like Rosie can be purchased at pet stores, said head trainer Rich Carifo, adding that its rose-colored hair is a defense mechanism.

“She uses her long hair to defend herself against predators in the wild by backing up and flicking the hair into the predator,” he said.

The hair causes burning and itching, he said. The spider’s venom--strong enough to sicken but not kill humans--helps it digest food. But even with all her protective attributes, Rosie is still very fragile, Carifo said. Just a small tumble can be deadly.

The red-tailed boa constrictor also elicited some amazement.

“He’s not poisonous like a rattlesnake, but he’s still very dangerous,” Carifo said as Bathe paraded around with the snake wrapped around her. “His body is 90% muscle, and he is very strong.”

The ornately marked serpent, named Balboa, stuck his tongue out as the children cheered. Balboa was using his tongue to smell for prey, Carifo said, since boas have poor eyesight.

The snake squeezes the life out of its prey and then swallows it whole by opening its mouth three times larger than its head, he said.

Then why, fourth-grader Jesseca Zwicker wanted to know, “isn’t he squeezing Debbie to death?”

“He knows we’re not food,” Carifo answered.

The 9-year-old was not the only child at Lang Ranch who had a question. Asked how to tell if the snake was a boy or a girl, Carifo explained that only someone like a veterinarian would know for sure.

Not all the animals were exotic.

The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Los Altos in Camarillo were quite impressed when Sandy, a terrier mix, held food in her mouth until she was given a command allowing her to eat it, said school secretary Sallye Gilbert.

“The kids were fascinated to see how a dog can overcome its natural instincts by being trained,” Gilbert said. “That dog showed a lot of willpower.”

At Lang Ranch, another terrier mix named Diego and fourth-grader Kristine Kilgore competed to see who could sit, stay, walk forward, backward, crawl and roll over best on command. Kristine won, perhaps because Diego seemingly went for laughs over treats at one point, sitting up instead of crawling on command.

The dogs and cat used in the demonstration were all rescued from the pound, Carifo said.

The cat, a yellow and white tabby named Abu, gave a lesson in independence at Lang Ranch, turning his back rather than performing tricks for treats. But the audience seemed to enjoy the show just as much with the cat in charge.

Lauren, an umbrella cockatoo who talked, waved and played dead, was also a hit. She has an IQ of 80 to 100, the audience was told.

“This is a great way for kids to get exposure and knowledge about things I couldn’t present in the classroom,” said fifth-grade teacher Kevin Lynch.

Throughout the show, Carifo and Bathe talked about safety around animals, reminding children to approach strange dogs by first getting permission from the owner, then allowing the animal to sniff a hand, then gently petting the dog where its eyes can see your hand.

“I’m really glad they brought up the safety aspects,” said Principal Brad Baker. “The children were paying attention.”