By corbin on 10/22/2009 7:16 PM

If you follow us on twitter (www.twitter.com/corbinmaxey), then know that last Friday we had a HUGE surprise! Tinkerbelle our African Sulcata Tortoise laid 18 pearly white eggs! It was a huge shocker for all of us at the reserve due to the fact that Tinkerbelle has never laid eggs before.



I first noticed something very peculiar about the tortoise habitat on late Friday afternoon. It was completely destroyed with huge mounds of earth and dug out depressions in the soil. I saw Tinkerbelle in a complete daze digging a hole as hard as she could.

I did some research and found out that female Sulcata tortoises will dig 10-15 different nests before they actually pick a suitable one to lay their eggs.

...

Read More »

By corbin on 10/10/2009 11:40 AM

This picture was just sent in of our newest rescue, a baby American Alligator named "Chompers." We have been preparing for the exciting arrival for weeks and I'm counting down the days until I pick her up (this Tuesday).

She was bought over the internet as a gift for someone’s fiancé. Luckily they both decided that an alligator was NOT a suitable pet. It is killing me to see how many people are buying these animals thinking that they will make good pets. I want to welcome ANYONE to come and see in person how big, aggressive, and dangerous these animals can be. My case in point: Soni our resident alligator.

***If you want to see Soni and I in person, come to the Idaho Herpetological Society meeting held on October 18th at the Idaho Fish and Game Trophy Room at 7:00pm.

As always, I promise to keep everyone updated on our newest resident. 

 

- Corbin

 

...

Read More »

By corbin on 10/6/2009 8:04 PM

Beluga Whales are one of my ALL-TIME favorite marine mammals. These amazing “sea canaries”; named so because of their vocalizations, are one of the few whale species exhibited in marine parks. So when a baby is born…its BIG news! I was so fortunate during my recent visit to Vancouver Aquarium to see their newest addition: a baby Beluga named Tiqa.

Tiqa was born on June 10, 2008 to her mom, Qila. She was the first calf in Canada to born to an aquarium-born beluga. Belugas are born dark grey for protection and gradually change to a creamy color once they reach maturity.

I’ve trained belugas before at various marine parks but have never worked with a baby. Here I’m pictured with an adult beluga. The females are smaller than...

Read More »

By corbin on 10/1/2009 3:35 PM

 

This week is all about preparation for our newest rescue: a baby American Alligator. Yesterday I posted some never-before-seen pictures of me working with them. Now I want you to see how big Soni our resident alligator is! Check out this video of Soni featured on FOX NEWS! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYhLI248sg4