Working With Our Animals

We are proud to be the home of more than 300 animals. With over 100 different species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates, it’s hard not to have a fantastic summer! In the summer, the staff responsible for our animals’ care are our animal specialists. They are trained, former counselors, who we trust to take care of one of the most beloved parts of the CCSC family. Animal Specialists oversee courses and classes happening in their respective areas and all instructions given by them must be adhered too. These are the people to seek out if you or one of the animals has a problem. 

Animal Area Rules

1. No one enters the animal area without an authorized and qualified staff member present.

2. Move slowly and carefully around the animals.

3. Talk Quietly.

4. Never sneak up on, chase, or corner an animal. 

5. Keep your hands and fingers out of enclosures. You must have permission to tough & feed animal.

6. You must be sitting to hold any animal.

7. Wash your hands after handling an animal and before leaving the animal area. 

Animal Etiquette

We expect that you conduct yourself in a respectful manner while working in the animal area. This is what we call ‘Animal Etiquette’. Maybe one of the most important points of animal etiquette is learning how to interact with the animals at camp.  One of the goals at our facility is to teach kids how to take care of animals. Taking care of an animal is not only cleaning up after them and feeding, but also understanding their behavior. We want to make sure we are cultivating an environment that respects the animals. Each animal has a different relationship with humans. Being able to care for the animals at camp is determining, understanding and respecting the kind of relationship these animals have with people. As a camp staff member, you are responsible for modeling and teaching appropriate interactions to your campers. 

In simple terms, we want the animals to be treated nicely so the animals are having a good time and reducing the possibility of injury (to animal and human) when possible. These include the following:

• Do not chase or corner an animal. Campers should not be forcing their “affection” on animals. There are some exceptions to this (mainly in the small animal room). But if an animal wants space, that wish should be respected. 

• Use a quiet voice. Many of the sections of our animal area are indoors and fill up with people and animals quickly. While one person using a normal voice is okay, an entire class of people talking can get quite loud and distress some of our animals. We do have many, many prey species that get startled easily. 

• Move slowly and give the animal choice when possible. Similar to the first rule in nature, sudden/quick movements can catch an animal off guard. That is also often when an animal may become startled enough they feel they must defend themselves. And for animals like our porcupines, their defense can be quite intimidating.

• Do not enter an enclosure or handle an animal you are unfamiliar with. It is hard to know the standard for an animal’s behavior if you have never met them before. While most of our animals are super used to being at this camp and being handled by children, some of them have their ticks or special behaviors to look out for. 

• Hold with gentle hands. Many of our smaller animals will be held in the hands of our campers. It is instinctual for many people to grip tighter on an animal that is wiggling or trying to get away. This can cause injury to the animal, which may decide to cause injury to people as well. This is just the animal’s way of telling you they are not being treated correctly (they can’t speak english, despite our best efforts). 

There are many other ways to respect an animal’s space and mood that you will learn in staff training when you are hands-on with the animals. Our advice to you  is to always explain why we have these rules to the campers. Our young campers especially do not have an understanding of what proper etiquette is yet, but that is what we are here for! They love animals and learn best through empathy and reasoning, not being chastised.

Gaining the trust of an animal takes time and patience. You will notice that some animals respond differently to females than males, tall people vs short people, and that some people are able to hold and handle animals that many others at camp are not. With patience, you will have your own bonds with some of the animals at camp. 

In the end, the animals are a heck of a lot more fun to be around when they enjoy people, so please always be on the lookout to make sure everyone is demonstrating proper Animal Etiquette. 

Animal Bites

While we do not expect animal bites, the reality is that they may happen over the course of your time here. Animals who may feel threatened, frightened or uncomfortable resort to actions to warn any potential predator. Please note the following precautions regarding bites from our animals:

• An animal bite that does not break the skin should be reported to an animal specialist. 

• Any bite that breaks the skin needs to be immediately washed with soap under running water for at least a full minute. Place a blue band-aid on the bite and report to an animal specialist. 

ALL animal bites should be reported to an animal specialist so it can be recorded in our animal bite log. Detail the animal, camper name and cabin and the events that led up to the bite. This helps us to keep track of campers that need to be followed up with as well as identify patterns of behavior from our animals so improvements can be made. 

Non-Contact and Restricted Contact Animals

Anyone visiting the animal area should be aware of all animal visitation rules. Most of our animals can be handled and interacted with in their enclosures once you have completed your training in the animal area.  During your Sunday camp tours or outside of class times animals should note be taken out of enclosures without permission from an animal specialist.  Only those staffed trained as an instructor in a particular animal area can open enclosures or handle those animals.  You can request to be trained in additional animal areas during and after staff training. You are welcome to visit the animal area during any of your break times as long as you are following animal area rules and not interrupting campers. 

Camp does have some animals that require special supervision or are strictly educational and for viewing only. Failure to comply can lead to disciplinary action or even instant dismissal. The safety of you, our campers and the animals is our highest priority.  Changes to these restrictions, or other animals, may be changed during the summer. Always listen to the instructions of the animal team.

The following animals have special restrictions that everyone must be aware of:

Animal Escape Procedure

With careful entry and exit to enclosures and ensuring all doors are secure, animal escapes are minimized. Most escapes occur when doors are not correctly closed or you are rushing and not paying attention to where the animal is located. 

In the event of an animal escaping its enclosure the below procedure is to be followed:

1. Ensure the safety of any people present near the animal. Move away immediately and seek safety if necessary. Most of our animals are unlikely to cause harm however even the friendliest animals may cause harm if they are frightened or feeling threatened. 

2. Find an animal specialist to assist in recapture if you are unable to catch them on your own. 

3. Close any surrounding doors or gates to restrict the area. 

4. Utilize appropriate safety and restraint equipment. This may include gloves, towels, nets and carriers. 

5. If you are unsure how they escaped, check for holes and gaps in fencing, walls and doors.

6. Once captured, check the animals for any signs of injury. 

7. Return the animal to its enclosure or find a suitable temporary holding area. 

8. If you have not already done so, notify an animal specialist of the escape.

Talking about Animal Behavior at Camp

Animal behavior can be hard to decipher to people that do not spend a lot of time with animals. Understanding when an animal is happy, scared, angry, etc. takes time and practice as each animal, even within a species, has their own personality and reactions to certain events. Not every behavior is a positive one, but that does not mean the animal is dangerous or should not be interacted with. We strive for our campers to have positive views of all of our animals despite their flaws. It is no different than people with different personalities that may not always get along and react to situations in unique ways. 

There are certain words we try to avoid saying so as to not panic or distress campers:

Bite: It is very common to be asked “Does this animal bite?”. The best answer to that is “All animals are capable of biting but as long as you respect them you are perfectly fine!”. Campers are bitten by animals often throughout the summer. This camp is designed to help kids learn how best to handle animals and this often comes in the form of trial and error, the error being an animal gets scared and bites. Most often, these are no more than small warning nips telling the person that whatever they were doing was not acceptable to the animal. Animals cannot talk, so, unfortunately, nips and scratches will be their method of communication. We ask that counselors avoid using the word bite, as it gives an aggressive connotation to that animal rather than accurately describe why that animal acted that way.

Attack: Similar to bite, this word carries an extremely negative connotation. Not one of our animals has ever attacked anyone at camp. We do not keep aggressive animals, as that would be counterintuitive to our program’s goal. Often when people describe being “attacked” at camp, that usually means an animal made a sudden movement that may have ended with a scratch or bite. Even if a scenario is scary in the moment, it is important to see the event from both sides of the interaction. 

Aggressive: We do have non-contact animals at camp that are not suitable to be handled. Each of these animals are important to our program despite this. The reason is never that the animal is aggressive. Aggressive gives a connotation that the animal will attack without reason, which is never true for any animal. Our animals may be non-contact because problems can occur without supervision or because they have boundaries that young kids are not likely to follow. Whatever reason the Animal Team gives, that is the truth and no additional details or new stories should be made up. Rumors spread fast and change constantly so it is always best to only tell the truth. 

Animal Injuries: Due to the fact that our animals often live in group housing and interact with dozens of people daily, it is not unusual for one to become injured. If you do notice an animal is injured, the first thing you should do is contact an Animal Specialist. Kids may become upset by seeing an injury, especially if the injury involves blood. It is important that you remain calm and keep the campers calm as well. Acting grossed out and panicked will only show the kids that is how they should also react. Most injuries are very inconsequential and do not need much attention, especially from the campers. Making a big deal out of these situations will have a negative impact on the campers’ experience. 

Animal Deaths: Our facility houses over 300 animals, which means deaths do occur on occasion. Ideally, this does not happen, but it is a fact of life. At this camp, we strive to make our campers’ experiences as enjoyable as possible. We try not to let the death of an animal (especially if they were adopted for the week or a camper favorite) be the defining feature of their week. Our policy is that if an animal gets sick or dies in the middle of the week and was not seen by campers, we tell everyone that they were brought to the vet. In some cases, this is completely true, a sick animal will be removed from their enclosure for veterinary care. Leadership and the Animal Team are the decision makers of how much information will be divulged publicly. This policy was primarily made because not everyone wants to hear such negative news. Limited information is provided to prevent rumors and false stories from being shared. With a few exceptions, once the week has ended, it will be publicly announced if the animal has died or not. Again, any information divulged is decided by Leadership staff; while not being told the full story may feel frustrating it is for the best. If you would like more details, the director of animal programs is the only person to speak with, do not make assumptions or spread incorrect information amongst other staff members. 

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