Help choose a name pairing and raise funds for Cayuga Nature Center’s
two new animal ambassadors
(ITHACA, NY – November 1, 2022) Cayuga Nature Center, a public education venue of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), is reaching out to the community to help choose a name pairing for its new animal ambassadors, two opossum brothers, and help raise funds for their feeding, general care, and new enclosure.
Cayuga Nature Center’s two new opossum brothers arrived at the Nature Center on September 20 from a local wildlife rehabilitator. The rehabilitator received these brothers and the rest of the litter after their mother was sadly hit and killed by a car when the boys were only one month old. While their siblings will be released back into the wild, these two brothers are non-releasable due to a bone disease which prevented their bones from developing correctly. They cannot climb as well or run as fast as they would need to survive in the wild, but as animal ambassadors they will still get to live full lives teaching people about their wild relatives.
Currently the opossums are almost 6 months old, and need plenty of food, vitamins, and exercise to ensure they continue to develop healthily. Like all the animals at the Nature Center, it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to ensure our opossums are getting high quality food, plenty of enrichment, and a comfortable place to live. It costs $20/week to feed the opossums, $600/month for their general care, and about $2,000 to complete their outdoor enclosure.
Cayuga Nature Center’s Director of Live Animals, Shyia Magan shared, “With the support of the community for this fundraiser, taking care of these boys will be much easier.” The opossums will stay in a temporary enclosure at the Nature Center, off-exhibit to the public until the new enclosure is built. The Nature Center staff plans to complete the new outdoor enclosure for the opossums by spring 2023. Visitors are encouraged to come meet the brothers in spring 2023.
Voting is open now and will run through November 14, 2022. The top voted name pairing will be announced a few days after voting ends. One vote in this naming campaign costs $5, and the name pairing with the most votes will be given to the new animal ambassadors.
Learn more and vote at https://www.cayuganaturecenter.org/opossum-fundraiser
Help choose a name pairing and raise funds for Cayuga Nature Center’s
two new animal ambassadors
(ITHACA, NY – November 1, 2022) Cayuga Nature Center, a public education venue of the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), is reaching out to the community to help choose a name pairing for its new animal ambassadors, two opossum brothers, and help raise funds for their feeding, general care, and new enclosure.
Cayuga Nature Center’s two new opossum brothers arrived at the Nature Center on September 20 from a local wildlife rehabilitator. The rehabilitator received these brothers and the rest of the litter after their mother was sadly hit and killed by a car when the boys were only one month old. While their siblings will be released back into the wild, these two brothers are non-releasable due to a bone disease which prevented their bones from developing correctly. They cannot climb as well or run as fast as they would need to survive in the wild, but as animal ambassadors they will still get to live full lives teaching people about their wild relatives.
Currently the opossums are almost 6 months old, and need plenty of food, vitamins, and exercise to ensure they continue to develop healthily. Like all the animals at the Nature Center, it takes a lot of time, money, and effort to ensure our opossums are getting high quality food, plenty of enrichment, and a comfortable place to live. It costs $20/week to feed the opossums, $600/month for their general care, and about $2,000 to complete their outdoor enclosure.
Cayuga Nature Center’s Director of Live Animals, Shyia Magan shared, “With the support of the community for this fundraiser, taking care of these boys will be much easier.” The opossums will stay in a temporary enclosure at the Nature Center, off-exhibit to the public until the new enclosure is built. The Nature Center staff plans to complete the new outdoor enclosure for the opossums by spring 2023. Visitors are encouraged to come meet the brothers in spring 2023.
Voting is open now and will run through November 14, 2022. The top voted name pairing will be announced a few days after voting ends. One vote in this naming campaign costs $5, and the name pairing with the most votes will be given to the new animal ambassadors.
Learn more and vote at https://www.cayuganaturecenter.org/opossum-fundraiser
About Cayuga Nature Center
The Cayuga Nature Center provides programs and exhibits that encourage visitors to explore the natural history of the Cayuga Lake Basin as part of the regional and global ecosystems. The Nature Center’s 100 acres of woodland and old field overlooking Cayuga Lake are home to a six-story treehouse, live native animals, a gorge and waterfall, and more than 5 miles of walking trails. The historic main lodge, built by the WPA in 1939, houses the largest public aquarium in the Finger Lakes, as well as exhibits on local forest ecology, wildlife, and climate. The Nature Center was founded in 1981 to provide nature education opportunities to area youth, principally through summer camps. In 2013 it merged with the Paleontological Research Institution and expanded its onsite exhibits and programs. Visit the website cayuganaturecenter.org or follow on social media for more information: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn.
Address: 1420 Taughannock Blvd. Ithaca, NY 14850
About the Paleontological Research Institution
The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) pursues and integrates education and research, and interprets the history and systems of the Earth and its life, to increase knowledge, educate society, and encourage wise stewardship of the Earth. PRI and its two public venues for education, the Museum of the Earth and the Cayuga Nature Center, are separate from, but formally affiliated with Cornell University, and interact closely with numerous University departments in research, teaching, and public outreach. To learn more, visit priweb.org.
