Features
Just breathe; animal therapy
By Molly Geisinger ’19
November 10, 2016
Tags features
The morning after Nov. 8 was a bleak and unsettling one for most of the Hamilton College campus. So, Student Activities decided to brighten students’ mornings with none other than an oversized furry rabbit located on the first floor of the Sadove Student Center.
Tommy Bowden ’18, who has been working for Student Activities since he was a first year, believed that Nov. 9 would be the perfect day for a post-election de-stressor. He invited Utica Zoo Education Program Coordinator, Kathleen McGill and a selection of animals to campus from noon to 2:00 p.m.
Waves of students in search of a midday pick-me-up came to pet a 15-pound Flemish Giant rabbit named April. Meanwhile McGill shared information about the Texas Vinegaroon scorpion, affectionately named Vinny, in a small plastic case to her right.
As students crowded around the table to pet April, but remained cautious of the hard-shelled arthropod displayed before them, McGill assured them that Vinny was harmless.
“He shoots a vinegar-like substance that’s not very dangerous,” McGill explained. “It’s kind of acidic, like a salad dressing, so it would only hurt if it got in your eye. If you got sprayed, you’d just smell like salad dressing.”
A Monkey-Tailed Lizard attached itself to McGill’s shoulder as she answered students’ questions about the Star Tortoise, a reptile that originates in India, and the relatively short lifespan of a Flemish Giant like April.
McGill brought this variety of creatures on the Zoomobile, Utica Zoo’s program that brings animals to classrooms and, incidentally, college campuses.
McGill has began working at the Utica Zoo as an intern when she was a senior in college and applied for full time job as the Education Program Coordinator shortly thereafter. She enjoys working at an interactive job and one that she looks forward to when she wakes up.
The Zoomobile could not have arrived at a better time.
“We usually have the stress relief activities around finals and midterms, but I knew the day after [the election] would be a great day for this,” Bowden said.
Students do not have to wait for finals to see these animals again. For anyone who finds particular comfort from interacting with oversized rabbits and prehensile lizards, there are volunteer positions in over five different departments available at the Utica Zoo.