Zoologist debunks misconceptions about animals
Originally published Saturday, July 25, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
It seems many animals have been greatly misunderstood.
To hear Zoologist Robert James tell it, much of what the average person knows about the creatures who share the Earth with us is incorrect.
Hedgehogs and porcupines, for example, can't shoot their needles at you. That would be like saying humans can shed their hair at will. A neat trick, sure, but not very likely.
Bats don't like flying into people's hair. And alligators won't bite you out of the water - although you need to watch out for those tails, their real defense mechanism.
"Out of the water, they'll never, ever use their mouth," James said.
James, who is based in Lombard and often brings his animals to area schools, is sharing his knowledge this weekend with crowds at the DuPage County Fair in Wheaton. James will make presentations at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in the Ag-Venture Land area of the fairgrounds at 2015 W. Manchester Road.
It's an interactive event, where everyone gets a chance to pet all the animals, including an emu who understands Spanish, a bat, a tarantula and a python.
Don't worry about being poisoned, though. Apparently, tarantulas and pythons aren't lethal, either. Another falsehood debunked.
Bats, it turns out, are pretty cuddly. The hair on the back of the brown bat James brings is, as he describes it, softer than any teddy bear.
The animals all have been injured and brought back to health by James.
The python was crushed when it was being removed from under a house in Florida, and the hedgehog was hit by a car.
James said he uses only affection training when working with the animals, maintaining they all have to be treated with respect.
James also likens the different species of animals to the variety of humans in the world. He encourages everyone to pet all the animals he brings, regardless of prior fears they may have.
"What's on the outside of somebody means absolutely nothing," he said.
Tarantulas may look a bit scary, but they're around to eat bugs - and only bugs. Plus, James said, he's been bitten by everything from a monkey to a third-grader, but snakes have never harmed him.
"The first thing you do is meet somebody and then you figure out if you like them or don't like them," he said.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Beekeeper forced to move hive out of Lombard
Beekeeper forced to move hive out of Lombard
Originally published Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
It's not just about Curtis Rolfe and the bees he wasn't allowed to keep.
Rolfe wanted to tend a beehive on his property in Milton Township, but that's not allowed by law. He got the Lombard Park District's permission to keep the hive on nearby park property, but that arrangement fell through after neighbors complained.
That forced Rolfe to move the hive to his son's home in Ottawa, where he's not sure he'll be able to visit enough to care adequately for the bees.
And that's a shame, say experts on bees. Hobbyists such as Rolfe help maintain the dwindling bee population. And because bees pollinate our flowers, fruits and vegetables, their work is critical.
Rolfe and his wife Leanne were disappointed when the hive got the boot from park district property.
"They didn't say why or what the complaint was," Leanne said. "The bottom line is that they're not an aggressive bee. They won't hurt anybody."
The insects that actually sting most often, experts say, are yellowjackets, not honeybees, which attack only when harassed.
However, park board President Keith Giagnorio said the hive would be a liability to the district if someone did provoke the bees.
The Rolfes had to move the bees off their property because Milton Township allows hives only on properties of at least five acres, because honeybees are classified as "livestock."
The bees thrived on the Rolfes property for about three months. Curtis Rolfe said they had multiplied a few times and had started producing a good amount of honey before they were moved. He had hoped to use his hive as an educational tool for children in the neighborhood.
"I am very aware of how the bees are losing out in this world," he said.
Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing, suspected to be the result of a virus that is causing colony collapse disorder.
Charles Lorence, co-president of the Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association, which meets in Oak Brook, said some towns are becoming more relaxed about their bee laws because they see the threat of waning bee populations.
In fact, the city of Chicago has beehives on the roof of city hall and the Chicago Cultural Center.
However, Lorence wants to push for more villages to allow at least one hive on properties.
Lorence, who has apiaries - multiple beehives - in a forest preserve in Aurora and in the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, said a third of the food supply in America is pollinated by bees.
"They have an almost intrinsic value to humans," he said.
He said if the population keeps falling, the prices for fruits and vegetables could skyrocket, creating the possibility of $5 apples.
"The hobbyists are really doing everybody a favor," Leanne Rolfe said.
Although Rolfe's hive is now with his son, Curtis hopes he can move it back closer to his own home near Glen Ellyn soon.
He said he's going to approach churches or any buildings that are on more than 5 acres to see if they'd be willing to house his hobby.
Otherwise, he won't be able to drive out to Ottawa on a regular basis to tend to his hive, which requires some care in the colder months, when bees aren't able to feed as much on their own.
Beekeeper advocate Charles Lorence, left, and Curtis Rolfe say caring for beehives helps stave off the dwindling population of honeybees.
Photo by Paul Michna/Daily Herald
Curtis Rolfe tends to a hive
in Aurora. He was asked to move
his own hive off Lombard Park
District property after
neighbors complained.
Photo by Paul Michna/Daily Herald
Originally published Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009
By Nadia Malik
Daily Herald Staff Writer
It's not just about Curtis Rolfe and the bees he wasn't allowed to keep.
Rolfe wanted to tend a beehive on his property in Milton Township, but that's not allowed by law. He got the Lombard Park District's permission to keep the hive on nearby park property, but that arrangement fell through after neighbors complained.
That forced Rolfe to move the hive to his son's home in Ottawa, where he's not sure he'll be able to visit enough to care adequately for the bees.
And that's a shame, say experts on bees. Hobbyists such as Rolfe help maintain the dwindling bee population. And because bees pollinate our flowers, fruits and vegetables, their work is critical.
Rolfe and his wife Leanne were disappointed when the hive got the boot from park district property.
"They didn't say why or what the complaint was," Leanne said. "The bottom line is that they're not an aggressive bee. They won't hurt anybody."
The insects that actually sting most often, experts say, are yellowjackets, not honeybees, which attack only when harassed.
However, park board President Keith Giagnorio said the hive would be a liability to the district if someone did provoke the bees.
The Rolfes had to move the bees off their property because Milton Township allows hives only on properties of at least five acres, because honeybees are classified as "livestock."
The bees thrived on the Rolfes property for about three months. Curtis Rolfe said they had multiplied a few times and had started producing a good amount of honey before they were moved. He had hoped to use his hive as an educational tool for children in the neighborhood.
"I am very aware of how the bees are losing out in this world," he said.
Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing, suspected to be the result of a virus that is causing colony collapse disorder.
Charles Lorence, co-president of the Cook-DuPage Beekeepers Association, which meets in Oak Brook, said some towns are becoming more relaxed about their bee laws because they see the threat of waning bee populations.
In fact, the city of Chicago has beehives on the roof of city hall and the Chicago Cultural Center.
However, Lorence wants to push for more villages to allow at least one hive on properties.
Lorence, who has apiaries - multiple beehives - in a forest preserve in Aurora and in the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, said a third of the food supply in America is pollinated by bees.
"They have an almost intrinsic value to humans," he said.
He said if the population keeps falling, the prices for fruits and vegetables could skyrocket, creating the possibility of $5 apples.
"The hobbyists are really doing everybody a favor," Leanne Rolfe said.
Although Rolfe's hive is now with his son, Curtis hopes he can move it back closer to his own home near Glen Ellyn soon.
He said he's going to approach churches or any buildings that are on more than 5 acres to see if they'd be willing to house his hobby.
Otherwise, he won't be able to drive out to Ottawa on a regular basis to tend to his hive, which requires some care in the colder months, when bees aren't able to feed as much on their own.
Beekeeper advocate Charles Lorence, left, and Curtis Rolfe say caring for beehives helps stave off the dwindling population of honeybees.
Photo by Paul Michna/Daily Herald
Curtis Rolfe tends to a hive
in Aurora. He was asked to move
his own hive off Lombard Park
District property after
neighbors complained.
Photo by Paul Michna/Daily Herald
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