Youngsters who participated in the recent story time program offered by the Boone Area Library were able to meet and interact with live animals - all without leaving the building.

As part of its Summer Reading Program, a special presentation was offered by Travis Gale, owner/educator and animal care director of Eyes of the Wild, an animal rescue based in New Jersey. During the program, students were introduced to four animals rescued by the facility - a hedgehog, a baby alligator, a baby wallaby and an Arctic fox.

Gale explained that animals rescued by Eyes of the Wild are pets that people have acquired illegally, animals that are injured and can no longer live in the wild or animals that have been taken out of abusive situations.

"These animals are not my pets. I run a rescue called Eyes of the Wild and we rescue exotic animals," Gale told the children. "Out of the 170 animals we have, about 95% are straight rescues. Some of them I get from people who were not very nice to them. People can be scary and dangerous to animals."

First up was an African pygmy hedgehog. "Its name tells a story. It comes from Africa; pygmy means small. This is the smallest type of hedgehog there is," Gale said. "Hedge is a row of bushes (where hedgehogs may live), and he has a nose like a hog or pig. That nose is important because hedgehogs are nocturnal, meaning they usually come out at night, and they sniff around to find their food."

He noted that when hedgehogs hear a predator, they will protect themselves with pointy hairs called quills. "When a hedgehog gets nervous, it rolls up in a tiny ball and it hides its face and soft tummy," Gale explained. "Then they tighten up the muscles in their body and that keeps the points of the quills facing out. When they do that, it hurts to touch them."

Since the hedgehog did not feel threatened and did not have his quills out, Gale brought the hedgehog around for the children to touch, noting that his fur feels like uncooked rice.

Next, Gale brought out a pure white Arctic fox named Sylvie. "Usually she is not white at this time of year. But she has not shed her winter coat," he explained. "Usually by this time of year she is gray and looks about 20 pounds lighter. Under this white fur is gray fur that Arctic foxes wear year long. The white fur grows over the gray fur in the fall."

He said both "fur coats" protect the fox in winter. "In the winter where this animal lives it is a type of cold that is hard to imagine," Gale stated. "Where she lives in can be -65 degrees Fahrenheit."

Gale has taught Sylvie to 'sit," a task usually performed by pet dogs. "Training her to sit took over 100 days and working on it every single day," he noted.

The baby alligator was the next animal that Gale displayed. He explained that alligators and crocodiles are different in appearance. "Alligators have a round U-shaped snout. Crocodiles have a longer, thinner V-shaped snout," he noted.

He added that alligators are not as dangerous to people as crocodiles are unless they are approached or provoked by people, especially if they are protecting their young. "Full-grown (female) alligators are over 400 pounds and have about 75 teeth. Boy alligators are 15 feet long and can weigh over 700 pounds," he added. "Adult alligators and crocodiles bite harder than any animal alive, including sharks, lions, tigers and hyenas."

The final animals on display were a baby wallaby, which Gale kept in a pouch, and a chinchilla, which he allowed the children to touch.

To learn more about Eyes of the Wild, visit http://www.eyeswild.com.

The Boone Library will hold another story time on Wednesday, June 26, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Featured will be Mister Mike who will present "Makin' Music."

Boone Area Library is located at 129 N. Mill St., Birdsboro. For more information about Summer Reading Program activities, visit www.facebook.com/boonearealibrary.