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From The Observer News
(www.observernews.net) Saturation Point It is always fun to take a road trip with the people you love the most in the world. You really get to know them and sometimes even come close to throwing them out of the moving car. As a family, we all had the same day off from work and decided to take a short day trip up to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. I had been there once before, and could have sworn that it only took 30 minutes to get up to Citrus County. This was what lured my brother into the car—the promise of a short ride. But as the 30 minute marker came and passed, and we were no where near our destination the calm car ride turned ugly. Insults were thrown from the front of the vehicle to the back and my brother was ready to throw in the towel and head back home. But we pressed on. By the time we arrived, we were all starving and thirsty from our long journey. A quick stop for soft pretzels and bottled water rejuvenated us and we were ready to see some Florida wildlife.
A Western Cougar takes a nap. As we all wandered across the wooden bridges and pathways, we saw the real Florida. Gators, birds and otters; oh my. But we also came upon what at first glance looked to be a snoozing Florida Panther. As I pressed my face to the observation glass, and read the educational plaques surrounding the enclosure, I learned that this sleeping fur ball was in fact a Western Cougar. This big cat serves as an ambassador for the Florida Panther because there are so few in the wild. According to the Park Web site, humans are the panther´s biggest enemy, but because of the spread of diseases, there are much bigger issues at work. Panthers are still lost to fights between cats, but more often are killed by collisions with motor vehicles, illegal hunting, mercury poisoning and disease. Because the population in the wild is dwindling, the cats are inbreeding which is also becoming detrimental to these creatures. Some tests on the wild population have shown a strain of Feline Luekemia and even a form of Feline HIV. A certain respiratory disease is showing up in 50% of cats tested. Although this is depressing information, I feel that the more information we know and the more the public is educated, the better chance we have of helping these creatures survive.
These aren’t rocks, they are sleeping manatees. Another animal we stumbled into along the winding paths was the manatee. At first, we all walked by, taking in the calm water and shady trees and a few large boulders in the shallow water. My dad pointed out that one of the so-called rocks was on the move. Then we saw another one take a breath. These weren’t rocks they were sleeping manatees. We had almost left the park without seeing these guys. The animals that float in the waters at Homosassa are recovering from their injuries in this pristine refuge. The waters actually remain close to a constant temperature so other manatees migrate to the area in the winter months.
We saw so many animals that represent the real Florida—owls, wild turkeys, birds of all different feathers, foxes and bobcats. We even saw a hippo named Lucifer who gave us a boisterous grunt that probably earned him his name and reputation. And yes, Lucifer is a slice of Florida, he became an official citizen not too long ago. It seemed to all of us that our drive back home was shorter than the trip up; but I have a feeling it was because after all the bickering we actually had a great time and learned a lot about Florida. © Copyright 2006 by The Observer News Publications and M&M Printing |
