Marcellus Salter, 4, pets Luke Treewalker, a Virginia opossum held by Hope Durley of Busch Gardens. View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

A wild welcome for state visitors

Animals from Busch Gardens amuse pre-Memorial Day travelers

By LAURA MOYER

Date published: 5/22/2009

The Dickerson family of Philadelphia got more than they bargained for when they stopped at the state Welcome Center in Fredericksburg yesterday en route to Fort Jackson, S.C.

It was just supposed to be a bathroom break and a chance for the girls to stretch their legs.

But 14-year-old Elisha, 6-year-old Raelyn and dad Ray also ended up petting an African hedgehog named Msuka and a smallish American alligator named Titan.

The animals were inside the air-conditioned Welcome Center courtesy of Busch Gardens, which used the pre-holiday travel day to show off a few stars of its wildlife exhibits.

The Dickersons--heading south to see the girls' big brother, D'juan, graduate from Army basic training--were delighted at their chance encounter with animals. The family has two ball pythons at home, so dad Ray had no problem laying hands on the gator.

Raelyn, though, was not so sure. "Come on, just touch him," her dad urged. She reached out one small finger, ran it along Titan's smooth belly and grinned.

Throughout the afternoon, Busch Gardens animal educators Kendell Thomas, Andrew Egyud and Hope Durley introduced visitors to others from the theme-park menagerie.

There was a ball python, Curly; a Virginia opossum, Luke Treewalker; an eclectus parrot, Ophelia; a blue-fronted Amazon parrot, Tuttle; and a green-winged macaw, Hook.

But it was a 13-pound two-toed sloth named Ellie that captivated the Tammany boys, 5-year-old Connor and 3-year-old Ethan, and Connor's friend Alex Water, 6.

The older boys had just finished their day at Fredericksburg Christian School when Ethan and Connor's mom, Rose Huffman, whisked everyone off to the Welcome Center.

She'd seen something about the event on a social-networking Web site, and she knew the boys would love it.

They did--kind of. Alex and Connor boldly petted Ellie's long fur, then rubbed their hands with sanitizer provided by the Busch Gardens crew.

Ethan declined the petting and the sanitizer in favor of hanging onto his mom.

Ellie the sloth didn't seem to mind whether she got petted or not.

She clung to keeper Andrew with her long forearms, each of which ended in two black-nailed toes. She nibbled on apple pieces and carrots sticks, and she gazed at the ceiling and wiggled her nose.

Passers-by were charmed.

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Date published: 5/22/2009