Exotic animals visit library

A chinchilla, skunk and baby alligator were among the animals at the Franklin branch of the Sussex County Library System on Saturday, June 24 for the kickoff of the summer reading program.

Kim Diez of Eyes of the Wild, an exotic animal rescue farm in Hunterdon County, showed off various animals and talked about them during an hour-long presentation.

Similar presentations were scheduled at the Dorothy Henry Branch in Vernon and at the Sussex-Wantage Branch in Wantage.

Diez held a chinchilla from the Andes Mountains in South America and described how it uses its whiskers for exploring to compensate for its bad eyesight.

The chinchilla is covered in hair and can blend in with the gray rocks in its environment.

She also held a North American skunk, which was descented by its previous owner, who thought it .would be nice to have a pet skunk, then learned that it was too difficult a task.

The skunk was brought to Eyes of the Wild, which gave it a home.

Diez also a baby alligator from the southern United States. She pointed out how it differs from a crocodile in its snout, its display of teeth and its less aggressive nature.

Folding a Ring-necked dove, she explained how the males open their wings and fly high while the females circle underneath and choose their mate.

Diez did not handle a female porcupine named Charlie, which stood on a table, because its quills are sharp. Attached to the quills are microscopic hooks that are released when she needs to defend herself.