With the loud chatter of animals coming from the Milford CPA, students might have thought that the 8th graders were back on another tour. However, this time these screeches were from the Exotic Zoo.

On Tuesday, March 22, Javon Stacks, a zoo keeper from the Exotic Zoo visited the school. Milford’s AP Environmental Science students had the opportunity to spend two hours learning about various animals and how they live and have adapted to their environment. Milford’s’ Environmental Science teacher, Stephanie Crow spoke about what the class learned. “I wanted them to be able to physically look at an organism and see the adaptations mother nature put on them and for what purposes,” stated Crow.

Originally, the class was supposed to take a trip to the Detroit Zoo back in October after raising enough money by selling chocolate bars to classmates, friends, and family. Due to limited numbers of substitute teachers available it wasn’t an option to travel this year. However, looking back on the experience, Crow says. “From now on I think we’re going to stick with the zoo coming to us so the students get this amazing experience.”

The animal that brought the most excitement to the group was the Reticulated Python. Weighing 124 pounds and stretching 17 feet, this was the largest animal to visit the school that day. The snake is non-venomous and only uses its mouth to hold onto prey. Every two weeks, the snake is fed a 25-pound pig, which can take over a week for it to digest.

Another one of the special animals Stacks brought with him was Luna, the Eurasian Eagle Owl. Eurasian Eagle Owls have talons that are so sharp that gloves are required to handle them. While Stacks was handling Luna, he spoke about how to own a large bird. He explained that one is required to be a certified falconer. Stacks is a Master Falconer, the highest level of certification possible. He also studied falconry in college. He told the class how he realized in college that falconry was one of his many passions in life. “God blessed me with the gift of animals, just like each one of you has your own gift,” said Stacks.

The Exotic Zoo is located in Belleville, MI. Although it is not open to the public, it is home to Stacks’ 800 animals, which he travels around with to different events.

Throughout his visit, Stacks showcased how these animals have adapted to their environments to survive. One prime example of adaptation was Major, the 34-year-old African Spurred Tortoise. He has spurs sticking out of his back legs allowing him to break up the hard ground. This aids him in burrowing, which he does to regulate temperature, create nests and escape predators.

Another animal students loved was Beefy, the 5-foot crocodile. Some adaptations of the crocodile include webbed back feet for swimming and large claws in the front for climbing. They also use their tail to propel themselves through the water to attack prey by surprise.

Stacks emphasized that it takes talent to handle these animals because they are undomesticated. All of his animals are fed frozen food to make them less aggressive. If they were fed live food, it would make a dangerous situation in terms of handling them and being around children that are not trained with wild animals.

Some lucky students got the chance to interact with the animals closer than others. One was Junior, Ashley Murray. “I’m really glad they got to visit, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was crazy to have a lemur hanging out on my shoulder,” said Murray. She laughed while remembering the day the furry animal jumped up on her while eating a banana.

Students of the class left at the end of the day with a smile on their face and new knowledge about exotic animals and their adaptations from the long awaited zoo visit.