Happy New Year!

We're looking forward to a great new year and welcome 2011 with high expectations! We're off to a great start and don't think we want to slow down for one minute! Well, maybe a few moments here and there.

When I write the date and it comes out 1-1-11 it feels like a clean sheet of paper, a cool fresh breeze. I'm ready to turn over a new leaf and get Animal Wonders' name and mission out there for Missoula county and surrounding areas to hear and see. This year our focus is to get into the public schools and start broadening the next generations experiences! With your help we can even start a few after school programs. If you or your school might be interested let us know and we'll do the rest!

The animals are still staying warm indoors while the snow continues to fall. We're all looking forward to a lush green spring. A few animals have started new training behaviors to ring in the new year. Ginger, the green cheek conure is learning how to fly on cue. She's a natural fly and clinger so the only thing she needs to learn is when to fly and that when she flies on cue she gets a treat! Win-win situation for everyone! Quigley, the brush tailed bettong, is learning how to jump through a hoop. This sounds like a circus trick but don't get us wrong, we're not a circus. Quigley is actually quite shy in front of a crowd so he prefers to sit on an arm during presentations. The hoop jumping will take place in his enclosure and it is solely for his mental stimulation by learning something new. He has come into full blown male hormones now and he's displaying territorial threats when we clean his enclosure. We are hoping that since he's so territorial he will naturally become protective of Babette and that might spark a more intimate relationship between them. We don't mind Quigley being territorial, it's only natural, but we would still like to be able to interact with him in a positive way... hence the hoop jumping.

So happy new years and remember that if you would like our seasonal newsletters giving updates on the going-on at Animal Wonders, send us your email and we'll be happy to add you to the list.