I think my blood pressure spiked,” said Donna Elliott of Shawnee as she described her close encounter with the she exoskeleton of a tarantula. “I wasn’t expecting the moulting!”

That’s what happens when one attends a lecture called “The Good, the Bad and the Smelly,” part of an educational winter series offered by the Ernie Miller Nature Center in Olathe. Elliot, her 4-year old son Ian, and about 60 other people stared some repulsive beasts in the eye on a Sunday afternoon.

A live tarantula joined the party as well, which delighted Ian.

“I liked the big spider!” he said.

However, the eight-legged visitor stirred an opposite reaction with others. One little boy summed up the more popular viewpoint with a pout and three words, “Get it away.” Maybe this part covered the “bad.”

Johnson County Park Police Sergeant Chrissy Stirling and Officer Seth Mullis presented a variety of critters that made the crowd of families gasp, ooh and ahhh. Stirling’s goal was to dispel the bad reputations many of these animals have amongst the human species.

While Mullis carried a caged snake around for close-up views, Stirling reminded the group that snakes are good.

“They eat mice. We should be thankful for the snakes.” Now that sounds “good.”

Stirling also offered tips on what to do if you cross a snake’s path in the wilderness: “Be very calm, step back and walk away. They’re more scared of you than you are of them.”

Debatable, judging from the nonverbal cues in the room.

But what about the smelly? Was an olfactory mishap awaiting this knowledge-hungry group? Perhaps a live Pepe Le Pew hidden in the wings?

Luckily, there were no bad cops giving a lecture. An inoffensive skunk pelt was passed around the room, along with skunk facts and tips on how to counteract the smell of this mammal’s spray. Something about tomato juice.

In Pepe’s place, his more socially acceptable weasel cousin paid a visit. Romeo, a live ferret, was a crowd pleaser, and even reminded Prairie Village resident Anthony Stiles, 6, of his own pets: “He’s like my guinea pigs.”

Eight-year-old brother Elliot still preferred the arachnid visitor: “It has eight legs and it’s hairy.”

People interested in learning about animals and nature can attend Sunday afternoon lectures through February.

Be warned, though. Exposure to good, bad or smelly creatures could give some family members unconventional ideas for household companions. Pete Stiles, father of the two boys, had an idea: “I was suggesting we get a tarantula. They make great pets.”

His wife, Wendy Madarasz, had another idea: “I like them outside.”

Sounds like a plan, Mom. A good one.


Posted on Fri, Jan. 18, 2008 10:15 PM
http://www.kansascity.com/news/neighborhood/olathe/story/449515.html#