Visitors to the Umatilla County Fair have an opportunity to get a close-up look at some animal species that may not be around much longer.
Mike Mills, caregiver for A Walk on the Wild Side, has been spending the past four days in Hermiston talking to fairgoers about the life – and potential extinction – of several species of exotic animals he brought with him to the fair this week.
“When you start talking about the hundreds, it’s time to worry,” Mills said. A Walk on the Wild Side is a nonprofit organization based in Canby that is dedicated to rescuing exotic animals. Many of the animals it cares for were once pets. Mills said these animals are often abandoned when the owner dies or can no longer – for whatever reason – continue to take care of them. Mills said there was a distinct upturn in abandoned exotic pets when the economy turned sour several years ago.
“When times get hard, people tend to give up their animals,” he said.
Mills and his ambassadors travel around the Northwest educating the public about the threats facing exotic animals.
“It’s about getting the word out,” Mills said. “For lions, tigers and leopards, the next five years will determine if they remain in the wild.” Many of animals that are either threatened or endangered are killed for either their fur or meat.
“We’re just trying to do our part to make sure these guys will stick around,” he said. “Even if just one person at the fair starts helping turn things around, it makes it all worth while.”
For more information on A Walk on the Wild Side, visit the organization’s website.
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