The Nittany Mall is getting a little wild this weekend.
The first Natural History Exhibit — featuring more than 30 live animal exhibits, interactive programs and more— will take place at the mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Presented by the Foundation for Animal Rescue and Education (FARE, Little Ray’s Nature Centres and ZooAmerica, the 12,000-square-foot exhibit for all ages will include a sloth, skunk, armadillo, owls, alligator, falcon, hawk, snakes, tarantulas, tortoises, bunnies, ferrets and many more animals. Two 30-minute, interactive educational programs by Little Ray’s and ZooAmerica will rotate throughout each day.
If it’s the sloth you’re heading out to see, note that it only comes out during Little Ray’s presentations (10:15, 11:45, 1:15, 2:45 and 4:15), according to FARE.
Organizers recommend allowing 90 minutes to two hours to see everything.
Tickets are $14 and can be purchased in advance online or at the door. For groups larger than four people, each additional person is $10. Children 2 and under are admitted for free.
‘We are certain people appreciate the expense of putting on these events but we do not want to be cost prohibitive,’ the event page states. ‘If you know anyone who would like to attend but for one reason or another this is not possible for financial reasons, please email info@raysreptiles.com and we will gladly arrange entrance that works for them/you.’
Families who have children with special needs that may find crowds challenging are also invited to arrive an hour early, at 9 a.m. on Saturday. That hour will be reserved only for children with special needs and their families.
Animals at the exhibit come from Little Ray’s Nature Centre, which is the largest exotic animal rescue and sanctuary in Canada.
‘About 80 percent of the animals in our care are unwanted pets or seized animals and we do not take animals from the wild to utilize in these programs,’ according to the event organizers. ‘We do have some animals that were born at our facility or other facilities in North America but 100 percent of the animals we receive calls about that are eligible to be released are released 100 percent of the time. Other animals in our care that are appropriate for programs such as these are utilized for fun, thought provoking, educational programs promoting responsible pet ownership and conservation.’
