Wildlife Wednesday 12/04/2024

Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Let’s meet Mikey!

If you’ve visited The Wilderness Center, you’ve probably met our hard-working animal ambassadors, Zea the corn snake and Barnaby and Gus the Eastern box turtles.

Occasionally things happen that prevent wild animals from living in their native habitats, which is the preferred ideal home for wildlife.  For example, an animal may be injured or orphaned and unable to survive without human aid. Sometimes animals are bred or kept in captivity for too long to be responsibly released into a wild setting. That’s the story of Michelangelo, the newest member of the TWC Animal Ambassador Team.

While TWC is not a wildlife rehabilitation center or zoo and typically does not take in animals, Michelangelo’s search for a new home fortunately coincided with our search for another turtle to help with our popular education programs. His suitability for the role was evaluated, and he was discovered to be up to the task!

Michelangelo is settling into his new surroundings and already has a few programs under his belt! To keep our animals mentally and physically healthy, they receive veterinary care, enrichment, exercise, balanced diets, sunlight and time outdoors, and the opportunity to do educational programs. Michelangelo, affectionately nicknamed Mikey by TWC staff, is 9 inches long from head to tail (including the dome of his shell), weighs 313 grams, and is estimated to be 10 years old. He enjoys dining on eggs and leafy greens, along with various vegetables, fruits, and invertebrates.  Although box turtles are not strong swimmers and are primarily terrestrial, Mikey enjoys soaking in his shallow water tub. He also likes meeting interesting people at TWC’s programs and visitors to the Interpretive Building, so stop by soon for a visit!