- North Florida Wildlife Center hosted a '4th Year Bash' to celebrate four years open in Jefferson County.
- Hundreds came out to support the center and stroll through new animal exhibits.
- Watch the video to see what the center's wildlife mission means to neighbors in Jefferson County.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A celebration of wildlife right in our backyard.
I'm Kenya Cardonne in the Lamont neighborhood where the North Florida Wildlife Center is celebrating four years of providing care to wildlife and a space for the community to take part in that.
Saturday was a rainy one in Jefferson County, but it didn’t stop hundreds from spending the day at the North Florida Wildlife Center for a special 4th Anniversary celebration.
Founder and Executive Director Ryan Reines tells me this animal-loving center has been here since 2019.
Ryan Reines, Founder & Executive Director at North Florida Wildlife Center - “We participate not only in local wildlife conservation and rescuing animals that people can find here like our resident pelicans, owls, foxes, etc. but we also work with and house animals from all over the world.”
To celebrate, the community came out for local vendors, face painting, animal encounters and a stroll through new exhibits.
For some kids, their favorite part was seeing owls, foxes and birds of all kinds.
For others, taking part in supporting wildlife care was the highlight of their day.
Sienna Tillery, Neighbor - “I thought that was very cool that it’s so local and it’s not like one of those big petting zoos, you know. They’re really taking care of them.”
These two young girls tell me seeing endangered animals being taken care of right in the heart of their neighborhood makes them proud to be from Jefferson County.
Aubrey Knight, Neighbor - “I just think it’s awesome that we live so close to a business that does that for the habitat and the animals.”
The community turnout helped to raise thousands of dollars for the center.
Reines - “They go into their daily care from food, medication, etc. Also into benefiting their housing spaces, their exhibits and habitats so that we can build larger exhibits, exhibits that are more naturalistic for them.”
A kind of support that Reines is excited to pour right back into our furry friends here.
Reines - “We want our animals to feel like they’re in as wild of a space as possible so they can exhibit their natural behaviors.”
If you missed the fun Saturday, the 4th Year Bash celebration continues Sunday.
In Lamont, Kenya Cardonne, ABC 27
