Visitors to Penitentiary Glen learn about challenges faced by wild animals

Mar. 29—Visitors to Penitentiary Glen Reservation learned just how difficult it can be to grow up in the wild — and the ways that wildlife specialists care for wild animals — during Lake Metroparks' March 29 Learning to Be Wild event.

There were few winning slots on the "Being Precocial" game wheel, which demonstrated the low chances of survival that some animals face at birth. Participants spun the wheel to try to survive as a baby box turtle, and of the 18 slots, only two guaranteed survival while two more allowed players to spin again.

"A box turtle would be a precocial animal because the mom lays the eggs and then pretty much leaves, and the animals are left on their own for survival," said naturalist Micki McNiece. "So, their chances of survival obviously are not great."

In addition to natural threats, she said that box turtles can be killed by cars and face other difficulties from interacting with humans.

"For the most part, the whole point is just for them to see how difficult it is for an animal to survive in the wilderness and how we need to help them," McNiece said.

Over near the park's amphitheater, the "Wild Quest" game taught participants about different experiences animals may have as they grow up. A number of cards were spread in a field, and each had either a positive or negative experience listed.

An example of a positive event was a baby animal crossing the road with its mother, while one of the negative events was a person finding a baby animal by itself and picking it up instead of calling a wildlife center.

The goal for the activity was "for the kids to find these cards and sort them into the bins while taking a learning experience out of the dangers and some good things that baby animals face out in the wild," said interpretive naturalist Abby Mossbruger.

"We're trying to have fun with it and entertain but also show that it is really not easy for a lot of these baby animals to make it," added interpretive naturalist Tony Gazso.

Inside the park's nature center, kids worked on activities that taught them how wildlife specialists help injured animals. Some used tape and glue for a craft meant to resemble repairing a broken turtle shell. Others learned how to treat broken bird wings or use soap to simulate cleaning a duck that had been in an oil spill.

"They're getting a little taste of what all of our awesome folks that are in the Wildlife Center get to do every single day," said interpretive naturalist Nick Gaye, referring to the neighboring Kevin P. Clinton Wildlife Center.

"All it is is getting dirty, getting the kids a little bit of hands-on experience and making them feel like the real deal," he added.

Gazso said that the event would cover the differences between wild and domesticated animals. Wildlife Center staff also scheduled animal chats and spoke about how the center treats wild animals.

"I just hope that people get an appreciation for how difficult it is for wild animals, even without any human intervention, and that the human intervention, even if our hearts are in the right place, makes it even that much more difficult for them to survive," Gazso said. "So, you can appreciate nature and baby animals and stuff without...interfering with it and making it worse."