JACKSON, MI – This year at the Jackson County Fair guests can come face-to-face with a host of wild creatures including an albino Burmese python, a lizard without legs and even a rare binturong – better known as a bearcat.
On a stage near the birthing barn, the Wild World of Animals Show opens three times per day to showcase a dozen wild creatures from across the animal kingdom.
Showrunner Grant Kemmerer leads a half-hour journey through the traveling collection of animals, each rescued or rehabilitated on their farm near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Starting with reptiles, Kemmerer moves through the animal kingdom, showcasing everything from a 100-year-old snapping turtle to a two-toed sloth.
During the show, Kemmerer quizzes audience members on their knowledge of the animal kingdom and reminds young audience members that while some of the creatures might seem ugly or frightening to them, each serves a purpose in their native environment.
“Every single animal on this entire planet is very important, it doesn’t matter if they’re big, small, cute or ugly,” he said. “In the wild, animals get up every day and basically go to work – perform jobs. Some of those jobs they do actually help us out greatly.”
Between handing snacks like bananas and corn cobs to the performers, Kemmerer fires off fun and unusual facts about each creature. He points out that owl’s tube-shaped eyes mean they must swivel their head to scan for prey, and mentions that Boomer – the unusual tree-dwelling mammal known as a binturong or bearcat – smells just like buttered popcorn.
Wild World of Animals operates both a traveling show and a zoo in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania where they keep wolves, primates and even a Bengal tiger.
The Wild World of Animals Show will take place three times each day with shows at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Admission is free with entry to the fair, and each show will feature the same array of animals.
