Nature centre hopes to educate public

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

Little Ray’s Nature Centre is packing up its reptiles, amphibians, and mammals and heading across the country to educate the public on endangered species during the Strathmore Stampede and Heritage Days event this weekend.
The Ottawa-based company is bringing 15 to 20 animals to Strathmore, and with the help of zookeepers, educational programming and turnkey operations, will provide an engaging and interactive exhibit every day of the four-day event.
“We’re here to break down the misconceptions that people have about these animals but also to educate,” said Shane McConnell, director of marketing for Little Ray’s Nature Centre.
“It’s rapidly growing but there’s definitely a need for this type of education, this hands-on interactive education, to break down the barriers that people have with these species, especially reptiles.”
Little Ray’s Nature Centre started 25 years ago, when Paul Goulet rescued reptiles and kept them in his basement. He then started providing educational programs in schools, universities and birthday parties, and now has a zoo in Hamilton, Ont. and Ottawa. The company also provides museum exhibits across North America, and countrywide shows and tours, and is a leader in programming for museums, conservatories, zoos, nature parks and botanical gardens.
The Strathmore Stampede and Heritage Days will provide a well-attended platform for the organization to provide education on Canada’s endangered species.
“In Canada we take our habitats for granted right now and we think of Canada as such a big, wide open country that there’s no way that a lot of these animals are in danger,” he said. “This is a good opportunity for us to really highlight that yes, we are causing a lot of damage, not only to habitats that these animals live in but to the species as a whole, and that many of the animals that people think are doing really well in Canada are in fact endangered in some way.”
Little Ray’s Nature Centre will have their exhibition every day from Aug. 3-6 in the Heritage Zone at 11 a.m.